Angels Of Ice And Shadow
by shadow halfbreed
Summary: No matter how hard he tries, Yami just can't seem to excape the memory that stalks him like his own shadow. Perhaps the salvation of his soul lies with the angel trapped in ice....if he can only dig him out of the frozen prison...
1. Chapter 1

_COORI TO YAMI NO TENSHI_

_(angels of ice and shadow)_

_Hello, this is my very first try at submitting a fanfiction....I hope it turns out alright, and that its atleast alittle entertaining...._

_warning: This will be a yaoi fanfiction (male x male relationships) ....how heavy it will be I cannot yet say, but if you do not like yaoi, it may be best not to stick around...thankyou for atleast looking...._

_for everyone else, please enjoy._

_disclaimer: I do not own yugioh or any of its characters...I'm merely a huge fan._

CHAPTER 1:

_A soul lost in shadows….a heart trapped in ice….dig, dig, dig…free the heart, and be found…_

A shrill sound ripped its way into the peaceful silence of sleep. The darkness faded away and was replaced by light... bright light... blinding light.

Crimson orbs opened slightly, but shut again quickly, and a quiet hiss at the presence of the sunlight could be heard. The angry teen pulled the sheets over his head, but left one arm out to grab the source of the irritating sound...a small but loud alarm clock which sat on his bedside table. With a rather powerful thrust, he threw the alarm at the ground, silencing it for good, though it had caused a rather loud crash on impact, for which he soon regretted as an angry tone came from down the hall.

"Yami! If you just broke ANOTHER alarm, you'll be buying the next one!"

The teen rolled around under his sheets.

"And don't you dare fall back asleep! I'm not making anymore excuses for you being late!"

Another hiss was heard, before the teen finally forced himself to sit up.

Spiky, tri-coloured hair crowned the boy's head. Usually it was dead neat, but right now it was in rather a large mess from being slept on, his dreams had been restless again...

Sharp, ruby eyes attempted to open, but to little prevail. He rubbed them to remove any sleep dust. When this didn't work he simply gave in and kept them closed as his mind wandered over the dream that had plagued him for so long. It was the first time he'd had it for awhile now though, he sighed, realizing he obviously wasn't fully over it.

"Yami are you up yet!? I've got the icy water ready if your not!"

That was it. The boy's eyes flashed open; his entire body left the bed and dashed to the bedroom door. Cursing as he stepped on the fallen alarm clock, his hand grabbed the door handle & clicked the lock shut.

Laughing could be heard from down the hall.

"Grandpa says downstairs for breakfast in ten minutes! Seeya in a bit Yami!"

Grasping his sore foot, Yami crumbled to the floor, one hand still on the door handle. He grumbled at the laughing of his hikari. It was good natured, yes, but Yami was NOT a morning person, where as his little hikari, Yugi was. He always seemed on a sugar high at this time of day, but maybe that was just because he liked mornings.

However ...Yami thought...Yugi was no way as sweet and innocent as he appeared, as Yami knew for a fact he would have gone through with the icy water threat if the taller boy had been any slower getting out of bed. Yami shuddered alittle at the memory of the one time he'd chosen to ignore that threat, before shaking his head, and slowly standing straight. He wandered over to the closet and reluctantly opened it, staring in at the uniform he'd begun to loath.

****

Yami walked down the stairs to the kitchen, he was now wearing his school uniform with the jacket left unbuttoned. His hair had resumed its neatly spiked shape, his face was washed and his eyes finally opened. Unfortunately his voice seemed to have descided it wanted to sleep in alittle longer.

"Morning sleepy head!" Yugi called from the table, where he & his grandpa were already seated. Yami just waved and grunted in return as he took his seat.

"You boys better hurry up, I'd hate to have your teachers phoning up asking why you're late again" Solomon stated whilst opening up a newspaper.

"Oh and grandpa, I have a feeling Yami needs ANOTHER alarm clock." Yugi said, giving Yami a frown.

"ANOTHER ONE!? I'm afraid that's coming out of his own money!" Solomon yelled.

Yami smirked at how alike Yugi & his grandpa thought.

It didn't last though. Yami's thoughts quickly returned to the dream he'd had in the night. So many times he'd had it, and so many times he'd thought he was over it, but then it would suddenly come back to surprise him. Why did he still have it? Sure, the memory it had grown from was an unpleasant one, but surely he should be over it by now...

Yami was roused from his thoughts by a nug to his arm.

"Yamikun, daijoubu?" Yugi asked, his large, amethyst eyes showing their famous look of concern.

"Hai, I'm fine Yugi." Yami replied, forcing his voice to join him in the world of the awake.

He knew Yugi hadn't fully believed him, and took a mouthful of orange juice in order to look away from his hikari.

****

"YAMI!!"

Yami's arm felt like it had been yanked from its socket as Yugi pulled him back onto the curve after he had aimlessly wandered onto the road. There was a screeching of tires, and then the furious honking of a car horn as the car that had nearly run into Yami drove off, random cursing about reckless teenagers could be heard from it.

"Yami! That's the second time you've wandered off the curve since we left home!" Yugi scolded.

"I'm sorry Yugi, my mind was just...preoccupied..." Yami replied quickly.

He made to continue down the path, until he felt a small hand grasp the sleeve of his jacket.

He turned to see Yugi, that concerned look had returned to his ever so cute eyes.

"You had that dream again...didn't you?..." Yugi said, barely above a whisper.

Yami turned fully around to stare at his Hikari, his crimson eyes lit up in surprise. "How did you...?"

"You may not be a morning person yami, but you're always with it by the time we leave the house. The only times your not is when you have that dream. I think the fact that you've chosen to walk on the road instead of the path twice in one morning is a sign that something big is one your mind." Yugi answered with a slight sterness that would have been cute in a different situation.

Yami looked away in guilt. He hated making his hikari worry.

"Yami..."

Oh no...Not that voice...not that soft, anxious voice. Yami was sure he used it purposely.

"I thought you said you were over it..."

"I thought I was, aibou...I know I've said that many times, but this time I was really sure I was. It must be nearly half a year since I had that dream last, I have no idea why it suddenly came back this morning." Yami answered, unable to look his hikari in the eyes.

"Yami...do you want to talk about it?" Yugi asked.

"Aibou, please, I..."

Yami's heart froze over as an enormous chill shot down his spine, a loud gasp excaping his mouth.

"No...."

"Yami? wha..."

Yugi gave a small squeal as he was quickly pulled back down the street and thrown against the wall around the corner. After recovering from his shock, he looked up at Yami, standing beside him, the taller teen's eyes were alight with a rare emotion...fear.

'It can't be...not here...I thought he was gone...' Yami thought.

Shadows started to appear in his mind, leaving his vision in darkness, and his hearing in silence, causing him to gasp loudly.

He'd been seen.

An almost silent chuckle filled Yami's mind, filling him with dread, before the shadows slowly began to vanish. The coldness that had been threatening to engulf him disappeared, and the chuckle was replaced by an urgent crying of his name.

" Yami! Yami! YAMI!!"

The world suddenly reappeared in front of Yami's eyes. He looked up to see a pair of amethyst orbs gazing at him in fear, and realized he had ended up sitting against the wall.

"Yami! was it...was it...?" Yugi stuttered.

Yami was breathing hard, but pulled himself to his feet once more.

"Yes."

He heard Yugi gasped, and cursed his inability to be dishonest to his hikari.

" Was...was he close?"

"yes, but, I don't know where he was. But, he saw me. Luckily, he decided to leave."

Yami's heart still felt cold. This explained everything...

"At least I now know why I had that dream again, it always occurred more when he was around..."

"Yami? do you, want to go home?"

Yami looked down at his Hikari.

" I can tell the teachers you didn't feel well." Yugi suggested.

Determined to calm his Hikari, Yami suddenly smirked.

"Oh? What happened to not making anymore excuses for me?"

Thats it, Yami saw him trying not to pout.

"This is different! This isn't just because your too lazy to get up!"

Yami's smirk turned into a grin at yugi's comment, since he knew just how true it was!

He looked Yugi straight in the eyes, never loosing his grin. He knew his Hikari couldn't keep such a serious attitude for long. And he was right. The tiniest smile appeared on Yugi's face as he tried to avoid laughing, but it couldn't be helped. Both teenagers quickly broke into laughter, before Yami gently placed his hand on his Hikari's shoulder, and led him back around the corner towards school.

****

"Oh man, you've been slacking Jou..."

"Like your doing any better!?"

"Why don't you just give up already man? save yourself some embarrassment."

"Heh, in a few moments your gonna be eating your own words!"

Yami listened absently to two of his friends, Katsuya Jounichi, and Honda Hiroto as they had one of their usual morning competitions. They always had some kind of fight before class started, ranging from things like arm wrestles, spit ball fights and even staring contests.

Yami Paid a glance around at them. It was an arm wrestle today, and it seemed Honda had the advantage this time.

He looked back around just in time to hear a cry of defeat from Jounichi as Honda pined his arm to the table.

" Ha! and the score is Honda 1, Jou 0!" Honda stated aloud.

"Grrr...you got lucky!!" Jou yelled, cradling his arm.

"Whatever you say man, but I still expect that candy bar at lunch." Honda retorted.

Yami rolled his eyes secretly. The things those two fought over were ridiculous sometimes.

He turned his head at the sound of the class door sliding open. A young male wandered in, causing many of the girls present to begin whispering excitedly. His skin was lightly tanned, his thick, shoulder length hair a dirty blonde. But in Yami's opinion, his eyes were his best feature. They were sharply shaped, much like yami's own, but there was a distinct softness in them, which matched well with the small smile on his face, and yami was quite fond of the light purple that shone inside each orb. The whole package still always caught his attention, and on the rare occasion, caused him to blush.

Yes, it was true, Yami was fond of guys. Sure he didn't flaunt the fact, but surely it was more obvious than people seemed to realize. As far as he could tell, Yugi & Jou were the only ones who knew.

He returned the wave that the other Egyptian boy sent him, then watched as he moved closer to Jou and Honda.

"Hi Guys."

" Hey Malik, how's it hangin'?" Jou smiled around at the boy.

"Fine, yourselves?" Malik replied gently.

Yami looked around further at the sound of his voice.

"Great." Jounichi replied.

"Yeah, so great you just lost pathetically at an arm wrestle." Honda teased.

"Shut up!"

The two resumed their argument. Yami watched as Malik slipped quietly away to his desk by the wall, three seats away from Jou. Though his expression didn't falter, Yami could see the disappointment he clearly was trying to hide. He felt a twinge of pity for the boy, Jou seemed completely blind to Malik, but then so did most people. Infact, most people seemed blind to just how many people swung in Yami's direction. While the boys were just plain ignorant, the girls were too busy swooning over the school's 'collection' of attractive males. There was a rather big list, and much to Yami's dismay, he sat on top of the list, with only one rival, another boy by the name of Seto Kaiba.

Girls just couldn't seem to decide which they liked better, it was like they were some ultimate prize to be won.

Yami shuddered at the thought.

He turned as the door slid open again. A tall, thin boy with long, fierce white hair strode in.

This time the girls gasped, for although this boy was on the 'list', he was one to be wary of.

His sharp, brown eyes shone dangerously, more so than usual, Yami noted.

The teenager wandered past the still arguing Jou & Honda. He seemed to pick the path to his desk very carefully, Yami noticed, and he was quickly proven right when there came a cry of pain from Jounichi. The other boy had kicked him in the back of the leg as he went past.

"YYOOOOWWW!! watch it Bakura!!" Jounichi threatened the white haired boy, although his constant hopping about holding his sore leg certainly didn't make the situation seem very dangerous.

Bakura's only response was to glare angrily around at him, before moving over to his seat.

There were five rows of seats, and seven columns. On the right by the window, Bakura sat in the first column in the fourth row. Yami sat it the third column in the first row. He wasn't sure why he sat at the front when he was rarely interested in learning. He looked around.

Jounichi sat in the third column in the fourth row. Honda in the sixth column in the last row. Yami grinned, Honda & Jou had sat together until the teacher had separated them. In the seventh column, by the wall, Malik sat in the third row.

Yami looked back around at Bakura, who was staring out the window, before putting his hands behind his head and leaning back in his chair. If Bakura was here, that meant his hikari, Ryou was as well. Like Yami & Yugi, Bakura & Ryou were light & dark, and looked extremely alike, but those two were like water & oil towards one another. Ryou had probably met up with Yugi and gone to English with him.

Both were in a higher English class than most of their friends, only Anzu joined them in the same classroom.

Yami's thoughts were interrupted by the loud ring of a bell, signaling the start of class. The teacher promptly walked in, immediately telling Jou & Honda off for not being seated. They quickly obliged, and Yami forced himself to sit up properly, exhaling deeply.

Another long, drowsy day had begun.

_I hope this first chapter went alright....sorry for the lack of excitement, I am currently working on chapter 2, which will hopefully be more exciting....thankyou if you read all this way._

_reviews would be nice...but please don't feel obligated._


	2. Chapter 2

_Sorry for making everyone wait so long for this chapter, I hope its worth your much appreciated patience._

_thankyou to everyone who reviewed, and well...heck, thanks to everyone who read chapter 1. Anyway, heres chapter 2_

_warning: the yaoi hinting gets slightly higher here....though its still just hinting. Characters may also be OC at parts...I apologise, as my intentions are to keep them as in character as possible._

_disclaimer: I do not own yugioh or any of its characters._

CHAPTER 2:

The loud ring of the bell....the echoed groans of relief....the scraping of chair legs on the concrete floor....the bang of numerous doors flying open.... and the roaring tidal wave of people piling out into the hall....

Another school day had finally come to an end, and the students were discussing excitedly their plans for the weekend.

Yami stretched over the back of his seat, grabbed his bag, and headed out of the room once the usual rush of students had disappeared, making it safe to stand up. The last class had been maths....Yami's least favourite subject. It wasn't that he was bad at it, but solving equations just didn't have the enjoyment that solving problems in dueling did. At least the teacher was nice. Because of this, Yami had allowed his thoughts to travel back to the dream he had that morning, and those thoughts continued as he left the classroom, his feet following a familar path.

However, its not like his legs could tell when sudden obstacles poped up in their path...

"OOF!!"

Yami and the other student both fell backwards.

"Watch it!!"

Having fallen off his dream cloud, and back into the present,Yami looked up, and groaned inwardly. Of all the people he could have bumped into, why did it have to be him??

He watched as a boy his own age, but of much greater height crouched in front of himself to collect his fallen items. He had to be 6 foot something, there was no argument. His body was rather slim, but with his height, it only served to give him an elegant appearance, and Yami knew for a fact that there was alot more power in that body than one might think at first. His head was crowned by short, smooth, brown hair, but once again, it was the eyes that caught Yami's interest. They were sharp and ice blue, and cold enough to make even the school's meanest teachers shiver. But Yami felt no fear to these eyes, or their owner, the ice blue contrasting his own crimson red. It was like a battle of the elements.

Yami began collecting his own belongings, his eyes never leaving that of his greatest rival, in dueling, and on the 'list'.

Seto Kaiba.

"I suggest you take your own advice, and 'watch it!', Kaiba…" Yami replied with the same coldness.

The only response he received was a loud 'HMPH!' as the taller boy stood, and continued down the hall, seemingly oblivious to the pack of infatuated girls trailing a few metres behind him.

"Man, that Seto Kaiba, thinks he owns the joint!" Jou said as he & Honda walked up, Malik quietly trailing close behind them, "wouldn't hurt him to watch out for others occasionally now would it??"

"Neither of us were watching." Yami replied shortly as he stood and threw his bag back over his shoulder.

" come on Yami, you don't have to defend that guy." Honda said.

"I'm not defending anyone. But I'm also not getting into a fight over something so trivial." Was Yami's answer.

" Yami!"

Yami just smiled lightly, and looked around to see Yugi racing up the hall towards him, a tall boy with long white hair running behind him. For a moment, Yami almost mistaked the boy for Bakura, but then shook his head at his mistake. It was Ryou, Bakura's hikari. The two were complete opposites in personality. Where Bakura was feirce and cold, Ryou was incredibly sweet and kind, and rather shy. like Yugi, Ryou had an adorable face with a pair of puppy eyes that could melt just about any heart if they looked sad.

" Hey Yami, Ryou and I are going to the library to work on that english assignment, you want to come?" Yugi practically chirped.

" Not to study I don't.." Yami answered looking away.

Yugi's sweet smile was replaced by a frown.

"Yami, you know if you don't start an assignment straight away, that you end up leaving it till the last minute!"

"We just have to write a poem about somewhere special to us...I doubt that will take very long to do..." Yami replied, giving Yugi a bored look.

" Thats not the point yami!" Yugi retorted.

"Can't you lot ever be quiet!?"

Everyone looked around, except for Ryou, who frowned in annoyance at the cold voice, before finally turning to face Bakura as he strolled up. The taller boy returned the frown, and didn't at all try to hide the fact that he was annoyed about something.

" We weren't making that much noise...you just have a problem with people being cheerful." Ryou replied with a coldness that didn't suit him.

" And just what was it you were discussing Hikari?" Bakura replied shortly, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Hikari? oh dear...he was definately angry about something. In the past he'd always refered to Ryou as hikari...but now days he only used it if he was in a really aggressive mood.

"Just that I will be going to the library with Yugi to study this afternoon." Ryou stated in a way that could only be meant to say _'So there!'._

Bakura's face didn't even twitch, and yet if eyes could make sound, his would surely be growling...very loudly.

Ryou didn't miss this, as his own usually gentle eyes darkened.

"Problem with that?"

"Oh no Hikari..." Bakura spat back, " except that I don't remember you asking to go."

"Back off Bakura! Since when does he need YOUR permission to do anything!?" Jounichi suddenly jumped in, his fist clenched.

It was actually frightening how swiftly Bakura's gaze moved to Jou, and if it was actually possible, Yami could have sworn his eyes got even darker.

"Stay out of it Katsuya...." He literally growled.

"Or what...?" Jou challenged, smirking, standing relaxed, as if he really didn't care.

THAT seemed to push Bakura off the edge.

The Taller boy suddenly undid his jacket...in record time none the less...and pulled it open. Yami gasped as he saw hanging around Bakura's neck was the sennen ring itself. Clearly he'd been wrong when he'd assumed Bakura had stopped wearing it ages ago.

Even Jou lost his smirked and frowned in concern. Whilst he may not have understood the power of the sennen items, he did know just how dangerous they could be.

"PUT THAT AWAY!!!"

The tension was cracked slightly as Ryou suddenly stepped between Bakura and Jou, his arms raised infront of Jou, and his angry gaze locked to Bakura, whose own anger was being interupted by suprise.

" I said put that away!!" Ryou repeated loudly, " I told you not to bring that thing here anymore! now put it away!!"

Yami felt a twinge in his own heart, but didn't let it show on his face. The sennen ring had been what brought Ryou and Bakura together in the first place. It was a bond they could share with no one else. Yami knew so, because he shared the sennen puzzle with Yugi. It to, had brought them together. For Ryou to simply call it a _'thing'_, actually hurt, even if Yami himself wasn't part of that particular bond.

Bakura's expression didn't seem to be able to choose between anger or shock, and wound up as something in between. He held Ryou's gaze for some time, the two staring each other down,not even blinking. The tension had filled the air to the point it actually seemed hard to breath, before Bakura quite suddenly turned, and stormed past them, without a word or second glance.

The silence between the whole group didn't leave until the tension dissolved from the air, and Ryou suddenly looked around to them, his innocent smile back, as if nothing had happened.

"Sorry for the fuss. Now, whos coming to the library?"

" I just remembered I have some important erans to run around town." Yami instantly put in, not at all trying to hide the light sarcasm, though he wondered if anyone had noticed the slight anger in his voice.

"Yami...." Yugi began, the scolding tone returning.

" Oh what a coincidence...so do I!." Malik suddenly interupted, moving over to Yami, also with a light sarcasm in his voice.

The two smirked at each other.

"Well then, we should really get busy..." Yami said tilting his head back, throwing just a hint of flirt into his tone.

"Hmm, yes, we wouldn't want to leave such important stuff too late, now would we?" Malik replied, returning the small flirt.

Before Yugi could get another word in, the two laughed, and raced off down the hall.

"Seriously...IS there something going on between those two?" Honda muttered.

"You would think that." Yugi replied, frowning as he watched his dark half run off.

****

People were probably staring at them and raising eyebrows, but that didn't matter.

Neither Yami nor Malik cared what others thought as they raced down the street, laughing their heads off. They didn't stop until they reached the main shopping area in town, and collapse on a bench to catch their breath. They DID manage to get their breathing back to normal....however...the moment they looked back to each other, the grins returned, followed quickly by more laughter. The two struggled to stop just so that they could breathe, though malik slipping off the bench with a loud yelp certainly didn't help Yami, who then lost his own balance, and slipped off aswell, causing malik to practically be pinned down by laughter. Finally after what really must have been a good few minutes, the laughter ran out, and the egyptian pair just laid where they were, unable to move for atleast another minute or two, before with loud groans caused by their now aching stomachs, they hulled themselves up, and made their way into the shops together.

****

"You know Malik..." Yami spoke to catch his friend's attention.

The other boy oblidged, looking up from where he'd been trying to build a mini city with his fries.

"I have to say...I fear we may be turning into a right pair of girls." Yami stated, amused by his friend's confused and slightly startled look.

"What? Just because we'd rather look at the other boys in the change rooms instead of the girls at the beach?" Malik finally replied, returning a slight smirk.

"Tsk! hardly!" Yami said, rolling his eyes. " I was more refering to....running around town yelling our heads off...rolling around on the ground in public, laughing until our sides are about to burst...." He began, before reaching under the table, and bringing out a shopping bag, " shopping....and for clothes none the less!"

"And the most shocking part of all..." Malik began, and raised his drink, " Drinking strawberry milkshakes!"

"Nooooo!!" Yami cried quietly in mock horror, " Not the dreaded PINK drink!"

"Yes! haha! fear the barbie pink drink!" Malik chuckled, playing along, and pretended to wave the drink threateningly at Yami.

"YOINK!" Yami cheered in victory, as he snatched the milkshake right from Malik's hand, and took a huge mouthful.

"HEEEY!!!" Malik cried out in real shock.

He suddenly returned the favour by grabbing Yami's drink, and gulping half of it down. However, his eyes widdened, as he began choking and spluttering, and dropped the drink on the table.

"Discusting!! How can you stand that artifical banana flavour!!??" Malik cried, his hands around his throat.

Yami just laughed once more as Malik pretened to choke like the milkshake was poison, and dropped to the ground, squirming.

"Ok ok, point made, now get up and stop making an ass of yourself." Yami mused, rolling his eyes once more.

"Fine, but in return for taking my drink, you have to come with me for my last job." Malik replied, standing back up.

"Hey, you already took half of my drink in return." Yami replied calmly, before glancing to the spilt drink on the table, " make that most of it.."

"Yeah, but only you got enjoyment out of it." Malik retorted as he grabbed his bag, " now come on, theres one really important thing left to do today."

Yami sighed and grabbed his stuff, and followed Malik to the exit.

"So what IS this big important task?"

He felt an anxious twinge in his stomach as Malik suddenly smirked around at him.

"Your gonna help me pick out my sister's birthday present."

****

Yami was certain he was going to swear out loud if Malik took one more minute to pick just one peice of jewelery!

_'All these things are fancy enough to suit his sister's taste anyway. Just grab something and lets go already!' _He yelled mentally.

As he looked back around, he was pleased to see Malik FINALLY at the counter, paying for whatever overpriced bit of gold or silver he'd picked.

Whilst he waited for him to finish, something caught his eyes.

A pair of necklaces sitting side by side. One was a simple, fine golden chain with a bright red jewel hanging from it. The other was practically identical, except the chain was silver, and the jewel ice blue.

Compaired to the rest of the jewelry in this place, these two were rather basic, and yet, something about them drew Yami's attention, nagged at something in his memory...

"Yo! Pharoah! Viewing hours are over!"

Yami blinked around in suprise at Malik's sarcasm.

His friend just chuckled and shook his head as he now stood next to him, before walking out, and Yami quickly followed, sparing a small glance back at the necklaces.

"Hey Yami..." Malik spoke, this time being the one to catch Yami's attention.

"Hm?"

"About earlier....are you alright?" Malik asked, the playful tone gone from his voice.

Yami looked down abit. He knew Malik was refering to when Ryou had practically insulted the sennen ring. He was still alittle upset about it, but looked up to meet Malik's eyes, knowing Malik had felt exactly the same, but quickly steered his thoughts away from that direction.

"Yeah....I'm ok." He answered, looking ahead, "...what about you?" He asked, slightly hesitantly.

"I can't say I didn't feel a stab from Ryou's remark....but yeah, I'm pretty much over it." Malik replied quietly, Though Yami wasn't so sure he was.

****

The two said goodbye to each other at the bus station, as Malik had to ride to the other side of town. Yami watched as the Bus drove away, grinning as Malik winked and actually blew a playful kiss at him through the window. Yami pretended to catch the kiss and held it against his cheek, smirking as he saw Malik beginning to laugh, just as the bus disappeared around the corner, before he himself turned to leave.

The sharp intake of breath actually hurt his throat, as his eyes met one of the signs by the bus stop. It was merly one of those signs telling cars not to stop there, since it was a bus stop. However, there was a slight bend in it, somewhere between halfway and the top. It looked like something had been shoved against it hard, making it cave in backwards.

Yami growled and stormed away. He was going to find out who was incharge of street signs, call them, and ask why the hell this sign hadn't been replaced!?

The anger only lasted a short time...pain took its place, and he began to run.

Home was suddenly the only place he wanted to be.

****

"YAMI!!! Why is there rice missing from the cooker again!?"

Yami hastily shoved the last of his rice ball in his mouth, hitting his chest as he nearly choked on it. He wiped away any evidence from his mouth, and brushed his hands off, just as Solomon walked in the room, his face full of accusation. Well, Yami couldn't blame him...how many times now had he stolen rice meant for dinner just cause he wanted a snack?

He calmly held up his hands, showing they were clean, whilst solomon stared him down like he was watching a suspect for any signs of truth.

"And the mouth." He ordered.

Yami frowned, but opened his mouth, feeling like an idiot as solomon checked for any hidden rice, But yami had already made sure to remove any from his teeth. When Solomon finally had to admit defeat, he just gave a loud 'hpmh', and walked back to the kitchen.

Yami sighed heavily, and slumped back onto the couch, and just laid there staring at the ceiling, feeling like the exhaustion of the day had finally caught up with him, and was like a heavy blanket covering him.

Well, atleast it was a comfortable blanket, and thus, Yami allowed his eyes to close, and drifted into a light but peaceful sleep, only to be disturbed moments later (or so it felt), as Yugi woke him for dinner.

O'well....tommorrow was the weekend...atleast Yami had an excuse to kill Yugi if he dared wake him up then.

_Alittle longer than expected, but I hope it was worth it._

_Warning that it may take me even longer to update the next chapter, as I've hit one of those dreaded mind blocks. However, I have small hints in mind, and so hopefully they will get me through the next chapter quickly enough._

_As before, reviews aren't neccessary, but will be dearly loved if recieved ^-^_


	3. Chapter 3

_*pants* ......finally!!! I am soooo sorry this took so very long to do...sorry to leave everyone waiting...*smacks self for being so lazy*.......I hope it was worth the wait, please enjoy..._

_disclaimer: I do not own yugioh or its characters._

CHAPTER 3:

_The angel limped slowly through the dark realm, wings shredded, and body layered in scars and blood._

_Walking was a struggle, breathing painful, and sight difficult._

_But the angel couldn't stop, he had to keep going, for he could still hear it..._

_The cruel laughter that echoed from the dark void behind him._

_His feet met something cold and sharp, grasping a sharp cry from the small being, whose voice was strained from the pain he already felt. __His vision dropped to see the source of new pain. The ground everywhere under him was suddenly carpeted in small spikes of ice. Even when he looked back up, he was met with a feild of ice, where there had been nothing but shadows before. Scattered around were larger spikes about the size of a tall person. They got bigger and bigger towards the centre, where there stood the largest crystal of all, the size of a large house. _

_The very air around the crystal itself was like arctic mist... threatening, forboding._

_And yet, the angel only felt the compulsion to move foward. The sharp ground could slow him down, but it could not stop him. Any physical pain was better than going back. __The ice indeed did slow him down, it tried to drag him down, and did very well, but yet just could not win._

_After a period of time that both lasted forever, and yet didn't seem to exist, the angel stood infront of the almost glacier sized crystal, his feet now bleeding fresh blood, new tears his acknowlodgement of the pain._

_He reached out a wounded arm that felt too heavy to be made of meer flesh and bone, and lightly pressed his palm against the icy wall._

_Like water down a drain, he instantly felt his little remaining energy sucked away through his hand, as if the crystal was some great thirsty beast. _

_He fell to his knees with an exhuasted, painful cry, the small daggers cutting into his legs._

_And there it was..._

_The dark laughter...loud and clear behind him._

_He turned faster than what he thought he had the strength for, and met the terrifying gaze of the shadow he had been fleeing from the entire time, eyes cruel and satisfied, like a hunter who had just cornered it's prey._

_The angel backed away against the crystal, no where to run, and no strength to fight. He was going to be caught. All the effort and pain, for nothing...the shadow was going to get what it desired._

_Small whimpers excaped the broken angel, his eyes shutting in defeat as the shadow reached out a hand towards him._

_'Help...please...help..."_

_Warmth struck a small spot in the centre of the angel's back, as his own desperate plea for salvation rang through his mind._

_The warmth grew, spreading over his back like a blanket was being slid between himself and the ice, and he finally opened his eyes to look back at the crystal._

_It was glowing._

_He turned and flinched away from it, right now forgetting all about the shadow behind him, his eyes locked to the crystal as it grew brighter and brighter, until with a burst of pure light, it shattered into thousands of peices, creating a shower of rainbow crystals, as the ice shards reflected the light that shone from the true source of the warmth._

_Another angel....one of undescrible beauty...rose in the air where the crystal had once stood, large, glorious white wings opening out from it's back._

_It was hard to make out the angel's features exactly, because their entire body shone as if it was made of light. But every inch seemed to sing perfection, and the wounded angel could make out two sparkling blue orbs, and a smile that seemed to be the very centre of all the warmth._

_A low growl behind his back managed to break the angel's gaze on the being infront of him, and returned it to the one behind him._

_The shadow was still there, but now it was angry. It let out a low, deep growl that echoed all around, as both arms stretched towards their target._

_The angel cried out, and fell to the ground, the ice opening new wounds on any skin that wasn't already cut, and cowered as the darkness seemed to press on his back._

_But then it was gone. As quickly as it had come, a strong gust of warmth from the other direction pushed it away with sheer force. A loud hiss could be heard from back where the shadow was._

_As the force dispelled, the angel chanced a look up._

_The new angel was no longer infront of him. It now stood strong and glorious between him and the shadow, no longer just two beautiful wings, but six magnificent ones stretched from it's back, like a white sheild infront of the fallen angel._

_Somehow, even without being infront of the seraph, the weak angel could somehow see the face that now greeted the shadow, as if there was a mirror somewhere that could reflect the beautiful being's image into his mind somehow._

_Anger. Pure threat, no hint of mercy anywhere._

_The look was terrifying, nothing like the warmth the angel had seen before. He watched as the shadow continued to hiss, sounding like the warmth was actually causing it pain, and tried to find a way to its desired prize. But everywhere it moved, the living sheild moved with it, allowing no entry._

_In rage, the shadow shrieked at the angel, now threatening to fight for the small being. In return, the guardian gave a swift, sharp strike of its wings, sending a blazing wave of light at the shadow, forcing out a peircing cry of agony._

_With hisses and growls of frustration and anger mixed into the pain, the demonic present finally turned and fled, as the growing light stayed on its tail, never going fast enough to reach it, but fast enough to make sure it didn't dare slow down, let alone stop._

_When it had disappeared back to the black void far off in the distance, the seraph's extra four wings seemed to fold back into the original two, as if they'd never been there, before the being turned around._

_The fallen angel flinched back at first, terrified of seeing that look of pure hate the taller angel had given the shadow._

_However, only the warm smile greeted him, eyes like pure sapphires shining down at him, gently easing away the fear within the rubys that returned the gaze._

_Strong arms opened in offering as the taller angel knelt infront of the smaller one, comfort radiating along with the warmth._

_And the smaller angel would not even try to resist this time. With a desperate cry, he managed to scrape up just enough strength to throw himself into the waiting embrace, letting a new wave of tears spill out. They could come, he wouldn't stop them this time._

_The guardian angel just smiled warmly at the small being huddling in it's chest, and wrapped it's arms protectively around him, soft but powerful fingers trailing through his hair in a soothing way._

_The smaller angel didn't know how, but finally...finally....he was able to smile...just softly, but definately. _

_The cold and the pain were gone, banished by the warmth that enveloped him. _

_He clung to the taller angel as he felt himself being lifted up, and prepared to stand....except his feet never found the ground. _

_He glanced up in suprise, __and found the other angel had risen up into the air slightly. He once more met the sapphire eyes, that just glowed with comfort and care. It was enough that the small angel no longer cared what happened. He knew he was safe, the taller angel could take him wherever it pleased. He just rested his head back against the strong chest, closing his crimson orbs and allowing sleep to begin its work, as the guardian slowly rose higher and higher, carrying him to a place of warmth and without fear._

_A place, the angel knew would be his sanctuary._

_****_

"YAMI!!!"

'_oh no...don't you dare...'_

It was difficult to tell what was worse...a bucket of freezing cold water dumped over you....or having a bouncy miniture version of yourself using you as a trampoline.

After the tenth bounce, Yami was actually wishing it had been the bucket of water. With a furious growl that stopped the startled hikari, yami threw his blanket off himself, sending Yugi crashing onto the bedroom floor with a loud yelp. He glared up at Yami, only to cower back as Yami's own glare made his go running like a scared puppy.

"You had better have a good excuse for waking me on a weekend." Yami growled threateningly. He seriously would hurt yugi if the reason wasn't acceptable. He'd been having a good dream. Well...sort of...it had started out bad, but then had changed.

Why was it that dreams were always disturbed at the good parts??

Yugi frowned indignantly, and held up a small bit of paper that looked like some sort of add.

"Did you forget?"

Yami gave his own frown, as if annoyed that yugi expected him to be able to read anything when his eyes were still full of sleep dust!

Yugi clearly got the message, and dared to climb back on the bed, and held the peice of paper aggitatingly close to yami's face. The ruby eyed teen blinked at it, but had to rub his eyes hard before he could make it out. This time he frowned in confusion, and raised an eyebrow at yugi, who sighed, obviously having expected that Yami would forget.

"We all arranged to go the carnival this weekend....remember?? Its the only chance we'll get to go."

"whats wrong with next weekend?" Yami muttered as he laid back down.

"One...its too late to go cancelling...and two, the carnival won't be there next weekend! it leaves town on Wednesday! So I suggest you get your lazy ass out of bed, or you know what...." Yugi threatened.

"Yugi...there is no need to resort to unessessary actions. I'll come to the carnival and have a great time, blah blah...but if you don't get your 'ANNOYING ass' out of my room this instant, YOU may not actually be capable of going!" Yami threatened right back.

Yugi giggled, but quickly leaped from the bed and ran out the door as yami gripped his pillow in warning.

The disgruntled teen groaned, and turned on his stomach, burying his face in his pillow, cursing himself for making the darn promise.

"Oh, by the way yami..." Yugi's voice chirped from the door again.

Yami gave another growl, and leaned on his elbows, raising his pillow, ready to throw it at his hikari.

"Grandpa made pancakes for breakfast!" Yugi continued in his happy voice, though it was alittle rushed.

That stopped Yami, who frowned suspiciously, seeming to contemplate that thought.

"With what?" he asked curiously.

Yugi grinned smugly.

"His favourite....maple syrup and butter....my favourite...berries and yogurt....and...your favourite...." He teased.

Yami's eyes suddenly lit up, and one would swear he was trying not to smile, making Yugi giggle again.

" I suppose I should let you get dressed so you can come and eat." He teased again, stepping out of the bedroom.

No sooner had he stepped out that the door slammed shut in his face. He laughed at how quickly Yami could move with the right push or pull method.

****

If there was one thing Yami liked better than sleep, it was pancakes with honey and almonds.

Naturally, he tried to make that fact less obvious by controlling his eating, slow and steady, like he normally would with breakfast.

Not that his efforts were worth anything, since both yugi and his grandfather could see right through his little act, and just grinned in amusement at him.

"Alright, and thats how we chew children, now try it yourselves." Yami spoke sarcastically, his tone clearly stating that he meant to say _'stop watching me already!!'_

Both viewers grinned and chuckled at each other....if only to annoy him more...before going back to their own food. Yami sighed quietly, and stuck another peice of his honey coated pancake in his mouth, just as a knock at the door descided to ruin the blissful breakfast.

"Wow, they're actually on time for once..." Yugi said, as he got up to answer it.

"Who are?" Yami asked after swallowing, only really half paying attention, as the pancakes practically commanded him to hurry and take another peice.

"Dahh, the others ovcoarse." Yugi answered, "We all agreed to meet here, then we'd go to the train station together. You were there when we arranged it...I know your slow in the morning, but atleast try to remember."

Yami frowned and stuck another peice of food in his mouth to keep down the grumpy retort that he wanted to spit out, when realisation struck him, and he froze.

His only movement was his eyes darting backward and foward between his plate of honey drowned pancakes, and Yugi's small hand curling around the door handle...

once...twice...three times.

Knocking the table hard enough to cause a loud bang, Yami leaped up, grabbed his pancakes, and raced for the stairs. He'd hurt his leg against the table leg as he'd jumped up, and stopped as he reached the top of the first flight of stairs to let it rest, when a familar voice sent a jolt of panic through him.

"YAMI!!!"

Yami swore as he rushed up the next set of stairs, already able to hear footsteps on the stairs below.

'_Damn hes fast!!'_

He finally reached the top, and cursed himself for closing his bedroom door, and almost broke the handle as he forced it to turn desperately. The moment the door opened slightly, he threw himself through the small gap, slammed the door shut, and locked it, just as there was a loud bang on it from the outside, strong enough to make Yami stumble back from it.

"Yami!! Get out here now!!!"

"Shove off Malik! Get your own pancakes!!"

"Come on Yami! Don't be a jerk!" Malik whined, scratching at the door like a dog.

"Get your own!!" Yami repeated loud and clear.

"Your cruel!"

"And you sound like a girl!"

"I'll break your door down!"

"Sure, go ahead, You'll only have to buy a new one! Yugi's grandpa will make sure of that! And after that over priced present you got your sister yesterday, I know your broke!"

Malik didn't have a comeback for that one, and fell silent for a moment, before yami heard him grumble and slide down the back off the door, noticing his shadow through the gap under the door as he sat down. No doubt he was pounting.

Yami smirked in victory, and sat on his bed to finish his pancakes, forgetting his manners now that he didn't have spectators.

Malik did indeed sit against yami's door sulking, his arms crossed, and his eyebrows bent as far as they would go. However, only five minutes later, he let out a suprised yelp as he felt his support vanish, and fell over backwards. He laid there in a star sort of shape, and looked up just in time for something warm and sticky to go splat in his face.

It took a moment of suprise, but he then grinned wide enough that it showed under the make-shift mask, and chewed a hole through the pancake.

"Thanks Yami!!" He practically sang through the hole, as his friend just leant against the door frame, grinning down at him.

****

_'Well, things probably could have been worse...' _Yami thought to himself as they finally got off the train.

Jou and Honda had only gotten told off for swinging on the handles....what? four times? Anzu had insisted on sitting next to him, which would have been perfectly fine by Yami...if she hadn't seemed intent on keeping their arms touching the entire time!

He knew she had used to like him. How could he forget having the difficult job of telling her he only saw her as a friend?

Naturally, she'd been hurt, and things had been really awequard between them for quite some time.

Slowly though, wounds and friendship had healed, and they'd begun speaking normally to each other again.

However, it seemed Anzu still harboured feelings for him, and though most of the time she respected the fact that Yami only wanted to be friends, there were times...such as now...that she tried pushing her luck alittle, as if doing so would slowly make Yami think differently.

To top off all the trouble, Malik had avoided getting caught having gum by sticking it to the back of Yami's head! The trouble maker had then tried to excape by running down the aisle, only to trip over Bakura's leg, which had been hanging lazily out from the seat where the boy was sitting, staring out the window, his mind anywhere but here....atleast until he felt the heavy knock on his leg.

Malik had just laughed, despite the growing bruise on his cheek, and Bakura had even given an apology...just a small, sort of awequard one...but from Bakura, that was good.

However, Ryou had accused Bakura of doing it purposely, and another short, but feirce argument had broken out. The tension had remained in the air, even by the time Ryou was happily chatting with Yugi and Jou, and Bakura was silently staring out the window again.

Once again, Yami felt alittle bad for Bakura. He wasn't the type for hanging out with friends, he clearly got uneasy in large groups, or lively conversations.

And yet, here he was...trying, and Ryou had gone and broken out a fight with him.

Just what was going on between those two??

Ok ok....so yami wasn't exactly sure just how the trip could have been worse...but he was possitive it could have been.

Once they'd gotten there however, Yami was wishing they were back on the train. Atleast he'd had a seat, and it was airconditioned!

Sure, so the line at the carnival entry was moving suprisingly fast...it was still long, and there was no protection from the blazing sun overhead.

Even worse, SOMEONE had found it funny to steal his water bottle, and use it to suprise someone else.

Bakura was still glaring daggers at the sky, his now drenched hair sticking to his face, neck and back, as Jou and Ryou stood alittle way off laughing quietly, the now empty bottle held in Jou's hand.

It was then Yami noticed a clue to what was going on.

The way Ryou was smiling....and where he was smiling. Like a puppy dog, right at Jou!

Well...that gave a clue to the recent frostiness between bakura and ryou...but as he looked to Bakura, Yami still couldn't work out why exactly he'd be upset by it? Was it...something to do with...that?? ...Only Malik would know for sure...

_'Malik!'_

Yami's gaze swung around to Malik, who was also watching Bakura silently, but it was clear he was trying....and failing....to keep his eyes away from Ryou and Jou. As Jou suddenly winked at Ryou, his gaze turned away completely.

"Hey come on now guys, thats enough." Yugi spoke as Honda and Otogi joined in the joke.

"Come on Yugi...we were just helping Bakura to chill out." Jou replied with a shrug.

The others laughed with him again, whilst Bakura glared over his shoulder at him, his teeth clenched in restrained anger.

Then, as if trying to avoid turning this problem physical, he turned and stormed off back towards the town.

"Oh come on! Take a joke already Bakura!" Ryou called after him.

"That was hardly a joke Ryou..." Yami scolded, before moving out of the line.

"Yami? where are you going?" Anzu asked.

If she was trying to hide her disappointment, she was doing a pretty lousy job.

"After him." Yami answered shortly.

"Just let him go. Theres no need to defend him." Ryou retorted, crossing his arms.

"Well someone has to!" Yami suddenly growled, making Ryou flinch at his tone.

Unable to help feeling glad that Ryou got the message, he turned and continued after Bakura.

****

Bakura!! Wait already!!" Yami called across the street, as he watched said boy cross at the lights, almost vanishing within the crowd of other crossers.

He hadn't realised how fast Bakura could walk, as he raced over the crossing, ignoring the flashing light that warned not to start crossing. If he heard car horns protesting at his actions, it didn't register, he was too focused on how Bakura seemed determine not to stop...

_'Why am I suprised by that?' _Yami thought alittle bitterly.

Bakura rarely joined into normal conversations even if someone tried to include him...why would he suddenly go spilling his heart out to someone now??

Yami let out a small grunt of frustration at the crowd that slowed him down, aswell as blocked his view of his friend. He managed to glance around them, just intime to see Bakura turn and disappear into an alleyway.

Yami practically groaned in annoyance, but followed into the alleyway as soon as he reached it, and finally slowed to catch his breath.

"Bakura!!" He called once he was finally able to breathe properly.

Naturally, the boy had already vanished from sight, and it wasn't like Yami had really expected him to answer his call. With a heavy sigh, he wondered slowly through the alleyway, his eyes darting backwards and fowards. He wasn't superstiscious or anything, but he did believe that alleyways could be dangerous places...even in the middle of the day.

The noise of the streets had disappeared, leaving a slightly ominous silence, though it was welcomed by yami's slightly sore ears. He continued along through the alleyway, the pathway long but straight foward. Or atleast it started of that way...

Yami cursed loudly as the path quite suddenly split into multiple directions, some leading back out to the town, whilst others continued to weave through the backs of buildings.

There was no sign of which way Bakura had gone, and Yami knew better than to chance taking a path he wasn't sure about.

Yami gave a sigh of defeat. Perhaps it was best to just leave Bakura alone for the time anyway, atleast until he'd calmed down alittle. With his temper, it would be hard to get a word in.

He turned to leave, reminding himself to speak to Bakura later if the chance came, when he jumped higher than he imagined he could, letting out a cry of horror.

He was certain he had felt it, an icy grip around his ankle. It had felt so real, there was no way he could have simply imagined the feel of a hand grab his leg, but when he looked down, there was nothing and no one there.

_'...Oh no...'_

At his reaction, the air around Yami seemed to turn icy cold, and sunk right through his clothes into his skin.

The he ran.

Direction was not even a consideration. The first path that came into his view was where his feet chose to go. Blinded by the instinctive need of excape, he allowed his feet to take the lead, his ears filled with the sycronised, rapid beating of his heart and his steps, like someone was beating a drum right next to him.

_Badum badum badum_

The coldness followed him, as if there was some invisible thread keeping it bound to him, pressing against his back, forcing him to keep running, until he quite suddenly ran into a hard brick wall he hadn't even seen coming. A nasty cracking sound, followed by a surge of pain brought his mind back into control, though right now he couldn't figure out if the crack had come from his hand, or his face....both had taken a nasty blow as they met the wall, and were burning with pain.

He slid down the wall, and cried out loudly as the coldness suddenly washed over him, like a wave of icy water. It pulled down all his defenses, leaving him open and completely volnerable to the sound Yami dreaded more than anything.

The quiet, cruel laughter.

It echoed through the alleyway, allowing him no excape from its predatory dominance.

But Yami could not run...there was no where to go, and his body had been rendured useless by the icy binds of the air.

Like the prey, he curled up, for the first time in his life, wishing everything would just suddenly end, and give him an excape from this fate.

"Yami!!"

Like a ripple through still water, he felt a disturbance within the darkness, before quite suddenly, the coldness retreated in haste, and warmth slowly crept back to take its place.

Shocked, and not even sure what he felt was real, Yami opened his eyes, and glanced up.

Scared, crimson eyes, met ice cold blue ones, before black was suddenly all yami could see again. At first, he gasped, paniced again, before the dark once more vanished, and a concerned face took it place.

"yami? What wrong?"

Yami wasn't sure how many times he blinked in the time it took him to recognise the young face.

"Mokuba?"

The younger of the Kaiba brothers was kneeling infront of him, his small hands on his shoulders, his face confused, and slightly afraid.

"What happened Yami? We were just walking past along the street, and we heard you screaming...." Mokuba started.

"We?" Yami whispered, some small part of his mind registering that it was strange he'd picked that part out of the sentence.

His body and mind had calmed down just enough that he was able to glance around Mokuba.

A few feet away...to his suprise...stood Seto Kaiba, his cold eyes still locked onto Yami in an almost accusing way.

And yet, something was missing...or more correctly, something had been replaced. Within the cold glare, an emotionless void of ice, something shone....

Confusion? Wariness...did he dare think perhaps concern?

Yami suddenly took in the rest of what Mokuba had said, and looked around the area.

He was still sitting against the brick wall. But where he had thought was a dead end, he now saw a pathway right next to him leading back out to the streets just a few metres down...close enough to make out the faces of people walking by.

Had fear really blinded him so badly that he'd missed a very clear excape ruite?

As he began to calm down and normal things...like the sounds from town...started coming back to him, he attempted to stand, going slowly, not fully trusting his legs to support him just yet. His eyes darted all over the alleyway, his heart not convinced of safety. He had to stop however, as Kaiba's eyes narrowed in suspicion...

Damn it! Did he have to be watching so carefully? Or at all for that matter?

"Here, let me help..." Mokuba offered, as Yami stumbled foward alittle.

However, as he tried to help, he caught Yami's hand, and the crimson eyed teen cried out in pain, pulling his hand back. For a second, Mokuba looked understandably taken back, but that changed quickly enough as soon as he saw Yami holding his hand, his teeth gritted in pain.

"Yami! I'm sorry....did I...?" He asked anxiously.

"No, its ok Mokuba, I hurt it a moment ago, thats all..." Yami reassured him, trying...and failing...to smile.

_'Well, guess I should be grateful the crack wasn't from my head...'_

"Niisan, can we get him some help??" Mokuba asked, turning to Seto.

"I don't run an ambulance service Mokuba." Seto answered with his usual coldness, and began to walk off.

"Wait! Niisan!!" Mokuba called after him.

"Its ok Mokuba, I think I can walk again now...just point me to the hospital. I'll go once I let everyone know where I am...they're probably starting to wonder by now..." Yami put in, not wanting any fights to start out between the brothers.

He looked back up to Seto's retreating back.

"Kaiba."

Seto stopped and glanced over his shoulder impatienctly.

"...Thankyou..." Yami finished after a moment, not saying anything else, just meeting the brunette's eyes.

As expected, Seto just gave a "hmph" sound, as if not caring for whatever Yami was thanking him for, before all three turned at the sound of footsteps entering the alley.

"Yami!?"

Yami's eyes widdened as Bakura came running into the alleyway, and stopped a few metres from them.

The white haired teen looked between Yami and the Kaiba brothers, clearly having no clue what the situation was.

"Yami, what are you doing down here?"

Yami frowned in disbelief.

"I was following you." He replied alittle indignantly.

However, Bakura just looked confused by the reply.

"Then why did you get yourself lost in the alleyways?"

Yami's frown grew.

"As I said, I was following you....not my fault you got luckier at finding your way out than I did...its worse than the sennen puzzle in here..."

"Yami? what are you talking about? I never left the main street." Bakura interupted.

Silence fell between them, as both just pondered, trying to figure out what the other was talking about, attempting to put two and two together. It clicked for Yami first, and his blood ran cold from his head, trickling right down to his toes almost painfully slow.

"Bakura!" Mokuba suddenly interupted, "Yami hurt his hand. We found him against the wall here, screaming, and..." He tried to explain.

But neither Bakura nor Yami heard him more than a few seconds, as they met each other's gaze, and the fear in Yami's eyes seemed to whisper to Bakura, whose own eyes suddenly lit up in shock, and Yami knew he understood.

Luckily, Bakura got ahold of himself fast, and turned to Seto again.

"Thanks Kaiba. I'll take him off your hands." He muttered.

"Good." Was Seto's short answer, before he turned and walked away, Mokuba following close behind, glancing back to Yami as much as he could before he disappeared from the alleyway.

Bakura watched them go silently, waiting for awhile incase they came back, before he turned back to face Yami.

He walked up to him, and then...completely unlike himself...wrapped an arm around Yami, and held him close. Yami himself was alittle caught off guard...but yet, it didn't suprise him as much as one might expect it to. Infact, he was grateful...grateful that it was Bakura there rather than yugi or malik. He cared for both, but they would both start to panic and make a huge fuss over it.

Bakura understood his fear, but he would be silent and just hold Yami, as he slowly began to calm down.

It took sometime, but Bakura never lost patience, as Yami huddled close to him, shaking heavily. He didn't loosen his grip until he felt Yami touch his arm lightly, a signal that he was finally ready. Bakura carefully pulled away from him, and led him back out to the noisy, carefree streets.

****

"Yami!" Yugi cheered, as Yami and Bakura finally made it back to the line outside the carnival.

"You've gotta be kidding me? We were gone that whole time, and you haven't moved an inch in the line??" Yami almost yelled in disbelief.

"Now that not true! We've moved a whole four metres whilst you were gone!" Jou annouced, feigning indignace.

"Oh yeah? is that an exact measurement? or a rough estimate?" Anzu teased.

"Eeh, a rough estimate." Jou chuckled with a shrug, " It sounded like there was some fuss up at the front of the line for some reason, and the whole line got held up. It just started moving again a moment ago."

Yami sighed alittle, before glancing around to Bakura as he felt him shift alitle beside himself.

"Jou?"

Jou wasn't the only one who looked around in suprise as Bakura addressed him...in a calm tone none the less.

"Look...about yesterday..." Bakura stumbled,looking to the ground.

The lack of strength in his voice caught everyone's attention, especially Ryou's, Yami noted silently.

"I perhaps....maybe I...." Bakura spoke awequardly, before sighing, "...Sorry..."

The apology caught everyone off guard the most, and strangely, it was Jou that recovered first, and smiled lightly.

" Yeah, same here...I wasn't acting like such a great guy either, and sorry about today aswell...it was just a joke...but we should have stopped laughing when you didn't find it funny..." he replied.

Bakura met Jou's gaze awequardly.

"Yeah, well...anyone else would have found it funny..." He mumbled, clearly uncomfortable, but perhaps with a hint of the strength he usually had.

He looked up in suprise as Ryou suddenly walked up to him, smiling sweety, what seemed gratitude in his eyes.

" I'm sorry for laughing at you to." He spoke softly, his big brown eyes shining the same way Yugi's did when he was happy, and Yami inwardly cringed as he saw Bakura's eyes twitch in a way that could only mean he was holding back a wince.

And two and two finally came together.

Bakura cared for Ryou as more than just his hikari. He liked him the same way Malik liked Jou, and just Like Malik, he had to stand back and watch as the one he wanted turned to someone else.

Bakura didn't handle more volatile emotions like anger or jealousy nearly as well as Malik did. All the threats to Jou lately, had been because he hadn't taken rejection well.

But yet, he clearly knew he wasn't handling it the way he should...he'd proven that yesterday and today, both times his dark soul had tempted him to get violent with the one who stood in the way of the one he desired...and instead of listening to it, he had turned and walked away.

Yami suddenly wished he could comfort Bakura the same way he had done for him in the alley, but he knew it wouldn't be accepted.

"Yami!"

_'Kami, am I popular today...' _Yami thought to himself, rolling his eyes, before looking around, and blinked in suprise as Mokuba came running up again.

"Yami! I didn't know you were coming to the carnival today...but why aren't you at the hospital??" The raven haired boy asked anxiously.

Both Yami and Bakura cringed, cursing in their minds.

"Hospital?" Yugi and Ryou echoed together, amd when Their dark halfs looked around, the two were glaring at them suspiciously.

Yami had intentionly walked back with his injured hand held behind his back in what seemed a casual way. But now with Mokuba's words, his hikari's bright amethyst eyes suddenly shifted to his arm, and Yami failed to keep a perfectly innocent face.

What followed was amusing to everyone but Yami.

Yugi demanded to see his arm...Yami refused...Yugi stepped foward...Yami stepped back...Yugi reached for his arm...Yami ran.

Malik and Jou both broke into laughter as Yami ducked behind Bakura, and Yugi tried to get around the tall boy. Bakura tried to protest, but ended up falling over as Yami raced off, Yugi hot on his tail, yelling abuse and something about what he'd do if Yami didn't stop...not that it made Yami stop.

He wasn't exactly sure why he didn't want Yugi to see his hand. He could easily say he'd tripped and fallen on it badly.

Was he worried that Yugi would see through to the truth?

He gasped and winced as a powerful grip suddenly yanked at his arm, forcing him to stop.

Yami looked around, and glared in angry shock as he saw it was Seto Kaiba, who merely returned the cold glare.

"Some king of games. They call you the greatest duelist, and yet you seem to enjoy making a fool of yourself just as much as the mutt does." Seto stated harshly.

"What did you say Kaiba!?" Jou yelled, raising a fist.

"Oh look, the mutt knows his name...I rest my case." Seto taunted, smirking as his gaze shifted to jou for a moment, before he released Yami's arm.

Jou growled, and glared around at Honda and Otogi as they laughed quietly.

Yami just glared silently around at Seto, annoyed that he thought he could just cut in like that, when he felt a much smaller hand take his elbow, and sighed in defeat as he knew it was yugi. He preoccupied himself with looking for clouds in the _'convieniently'_ clear sky.

"Yami...what did you do...?" Yugi whispered, the anger completely washed away as he saw the injury.

Yami glanced to his own hand, and had to admit it was alot more swollen than the last time he had looked. But damn that soft voice of Yugi's. It made it so hard to lie to him...but if he told the truth right now, the whole group would start acting like they'd excaped from a madhouse, even though most of them only understood half the story...

"I shoved him, and he fell on it wrong."

Everyone looked around to Bakura as he suddenly spoke, Yami staring at him in disbelief.

"What do you mean you shoved him?" Ryou spoke, the sweet look completely gone.

"I was still angry...he tried to talk to me, and I shoved him off...but...alittle harder than intended..." Bakura answered, looking away.

Yami couldn't believe it. Why was Bakura saying this? He was grateful he'd come to his rescue, but why didn't he just say that he'd been careless and tripped when chasing him?

Then again...that did sound just alittle cliche...with Bakura's temper, and recent coldness, anyone would be willing to believe he'd shoved Yami.

"I can't believe you!" Ryou shouted suddenly.

Yami noticed how Bakura's hands were clenched...he'd been expecting this back lash.

"Why can't you ever control your temper!? Why do you always have to threaten or hurt people!?" Ryou shouted angrily.

Bakura just stood there and took it, not looking to Ryou.

"Stop ignoring me! Its bad enough you did this, but you didn't even have the descency to take Yami to the hospital afterwards!?" Ryou kept going.

"Hey, Ryou, come on, it was an accident." Jou suddenly spoke, stepping up to stand beside the white haired boy.

"Stop defending him!" Ryou retorted, turning to Jou now, " I'll bet he didn't even apologise to Yami!"

"Yes he did!" Yami suddenly spoke up, feeling his own anger rise, "He already apologised to me Ryou, and he offered to take me to the hospital, I'm the one who refused to go!"

Ryou looked to him in suprise, as did Bakura, whom looked just as suprised as yami had at being saved. Yami no longer felt the fear of lieing this time though. In the silence that followed, Ryou seemed to calm down, realising he'd over reacted, and stared to the ground in shame.

"I'm sorry..." He spoke, soft once more.

"So am I..." Bakura spoke just as soft, making Ryou look up in suprise at the amount of emotion he allowed in his voice.

There was yet another silence, before...

"Well, we should probably do something about Yami's hand...right? I get the feeling he won't be allowed on many rides with a broken hand." Otogi spoke up.

"There goes the carnival..." Malik pounted alittle.

"Niisan? What about the medics inside the carnival?" Mokuba suddenly asked, looking to his brother again.

Yami glanced up, having temporarily forgotten Kaiba was close by.

"Sure, they can go as soon as they get in." Seto answered uncaring, and turned to walk off again.

"Come on Niisan..." Mokuba pleaded, " Just because its my birthday??"

"Oh, its your birthday? happy birthday Mokuba." Anzu said in suprise.

"Otanjoubi omedetou gouzaimasu!" the group echoed, making mokuba blush and chuckle slightly embarrassed.

Yami glanced to Seto, who had seemed to take notice of Mokuba's smile, before turning away.

"If they don't come now, I'm not helping them out later." He suddenly spoke, and began walking away.

"Oh! really!? arigato Niisan!!" Mokuba cheered in joy, " Come on everyone! this way!"

"But....we'll loose out spot in the line!" Honda replied.

" V. don't need any spot in line." Mokuba said smirking around at him, " Kaiba corp is handling alot of the attractions here at the carnival. If they don't agree to Niisan's requests, then there goes atleast half the rides and games here."

"Wow...as heartless as ever..." Malik muttered with a shrug, but followed Mokuba out of the line.

They all quickly followed after him, Jou and Honda unable to resist taunting the people in line as they walked through a seperate door, Anzu and Yugi apologising afterwards.

Yami looked around at the huge carnival as they finally got in. Rides and games everywhere. He suddenly felt very drained and unwilling to move, but allowed himself to be guided by Yugi and Malik to the medical bay. He glanced up to look at Mokuba's back as he led the way, and cursed himself weakly as he actually felt disappointment that the older Kaiba brother was no longer with them.

_'A heart encased in ice...' _Yami thought bitterly, and let his eyes slip close.

Within the darkness somewhere between conciousness and sleep, he saw two jewels before him.

One crimson red...

One Ice blue.

****

_wow....this turned out longer than expected...again, hope its worth it.......*cries*.....I made Ryou seem so horrible in this chapter!! and I love Ryouchan!! I apologise to any and all Ryou fans out there... can someone please tell me if the characters are getting too OC?_

_Hopefully, I will not take so long with the next chapter....please review._


	4. Chapter 4

_Finally finally finally!!!!!!!!!!_

_I can't believe I took so very long on this! I'm sorry everyone, I kept hitting small but nasty road blocks all over the place!_

_Oops....here I was worried I wouldn't be able to make this chapter long enough...its gone and become the longest one so far O.O'_

_anyway, sorry for the wait, here it is...hope you enjoy it._

_disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of its characters._

Chapter 4:

Yami could put up with having his hand bandaged to the point he couldn't move it, and at Yugi's endless insistance, had agreed to have his arm put in a sling, even though the medics agreed that it was over kill....

He was hardly bothered by the amount of time it took just to get him arm sorted out, much of that time being spend by Yugi and the doctors debating about the sling...

He didn't even mind the taunting from the others, and their playful whining about wasting precious ride time.

No...what Yami couldn't take anymore of...was being asked if he was alright every two minutes!!

"Guys! thanks for your concern, but I'm fine already! so PLEASE stop asking!" He finally burst out.

His friends looked alittle taken back, though none seemed actually offended, more just startled.

"Look, sorry to shout like that, but we came here to enjoy ourselves, so before someone here dies of boredom, lets go on some rides or something." Yami apologised.

"Thats the thing Yami...we're not sure what to do. The doctors said your supposed to take it easy on your hand, and that could cut out alot of the rides here." Yugi replied in his familar worried voice, " Oohh...maybe coming wasn't such a good idea..."

THAT made Yami glare.

He stormed right over and took Yugi's arm with his good hand, and began dragging him foward.

" I did not get my _'lazy ass' _dragged out of bed just to get my hand broken, and told to go all the way back home! Now lets either get on one of these rides, or I swear I'll go find some other way to thrill myself! How does a one-handed joy ride on the highway sound!? Without a single driving lesson I might add!?"

"Don't be a jerk about it!" Yugi almost growled, glaring back.

One would swear sparks were about to form between their eyes.

"Hey hey!!As fun as that joy ride sounds, lets not go spilling our organs on the road just for a thrill..." Malik broke in suddenly, trying to cool the situation, " How does a roller coaster with enough spins that you'll hurl before you reach the finish sound?"

"Pretty good. Wonder who can go the longest without hurling?" Yami said grinning at him.

The thought really wasn't that appealing at all to him, truth be told...but it was worth saying just to see Yugi's reaction, the smaller boy not disappointing him...

"NO! No roller coasters!"

"Hey, a rollercoaster endurance test? count me in!" Jou joined in excitedly.

"Don't forget me!" Honda added.

"I'd say yes, but I ate whilst we were waiting for Yami to get his hand sorted out..." Otogi put in regretfully, for which Jou and Honda teased him.

"NO!!" Yugi practically screamed.

"Settle down Aibou, it was just a joke." Yami chuckled, touching the small hikari's shoulder, " Though I wasn't kidding about finding something to do... I'll be the one to die of boredom if we don't do something other than walking soon!"

****

After alot of debating...mostly between malik and yugi over what Yami could and couldn't do...the group had settled with playing some of the carnival games to begin with. Even with just one hand, Yami proved he could still do just as well, as he suprised the others by winning a game of knocking the bottles over. He'd won a white stuffed bunny, which he had to admit, was incredibly cute, even to him, but still, he didn't have any real need for it, and so had offered it to the others, only to regret doing so as a fight broke out between Yugi, Mokuba, Anzu, Ryou and Malik.

"Is it really THAT cute?" Yami whispered to Jou as the five arguers passed the two minute mark, none showing any signs of backing down.

"They obviously think so..." Jou answered awequardly, before adding quietly, "Maybe you'd better choose Malik...he might be heartbroken otherwise...."

Yami seriously contemplated that thought, but after almost five full minutes of fighting, he finally handed it over to Yugi, for the simple fact that he knew he would NEVER hear the end of it at home if he didn't.

Yugi hugged the prize smugly as they continued to walk around.

****

Yami wiped the sweat from his head, grumbling that the only thing they'd forgotten in this carnival was a descent amount of shade. He looked up as he heard laughing, and waved for the....oh who knew how many times he'd waved now....

The others had all gone on the carroselle, Jou, Honda and Otogi having a pretend race, whilst Malik and Mokuba rode behind them, laughing each time any of the three got too excited and nearly fell off.

Behind them, Ryou laughed along with them, as he was actually sharing a horse with Bakura, who sat right behind him, looking incredibly embarrassed, and clearly trying to avoid eye contact with anyone. Ryou had practically begged him to go on, but it hadn't been until he'd talked about sharing a horse that Bakura had seemed to change his mind.

Anzu and Yugi were the ones waving to Yami each time they went around, as they road at the back of the group. Anzu had wanted Yami to go on, but for once, Yugi had given him a break, no doubt because he was the one who'd gotten the prize earlier...

"Parents with their children are one thing. Whats their excuse?"

Yami sighed quietly as the peaceful atmosphere was disturbed, not looking to Seto Kaiba, as he felt him walk up in line with him a few feet away.

"They're just having fun Kaiba." He spoke meaning to sound defensive, but the stupid heat was making it hard to be serious.

"You sure? Your friend Bakura looks like hes about to burst a nerve." Kaiba retorted.

Yami couldn't help but to look up at those words, his eyes immediately drifting to Bakura, who did indeed look like he was about to crack, and jump off the plastic horse mid-ride.

A burst of laughter excaped Yami before he even felt it coming, and he had to hope Bakura didn't notice.

"So now your laughing at your friend's pain?" Seto spoke, and Yami could have sworn he'd heard just a hint of amusement in the CEO's voice.

"I'm not sadistic like you Kaiba..." he replied, standing up straight, since the laughter had made him hunch over alittle, " Its just theres only one person I could imagine even more out of place on a carroselle than Bakura..."

He smirked at his own words, expecting a cold glare from Kaiba. Perhaps not as much as a retort, but atleast a glare...

However, you couldn't have Seto Kaiba glare at you without feeling it, so when the shiver he was expecting didn't come, Yami glanced around to the taller boy.

He winced as the sun struck him in the eyes. Typical Kaiba...just had to go stand right infront of it...

Yami blinked, trying to see Kaiba through the bright rays. It seemed all he could make out though was his silhoutte, the sun creating a golden aura around his body, his ice blue eyes shining like crystals in the light...

It felt like the first (and last) time Yugi had dumped icy water over him whilst he was sleeping.

He was suddenly awake and aware, but completely stunned, and couldn't figure out why exactly. His body seemed to have forgotten how to breathe.

He began to panic when he couldn't get hismself to take a breath, his chest tightening, his body shaking, when the sapphire orbs suddenly turned on him.

"what!?" Seto demanded, looking both annoyed, and....was it confused...??

The familar harsh tone forced air back into Yami's lungs, and he began coughing loudly, hunching over.

"If you've got something, then you'd better have reported it to the doctors earlier." Seto stated rudely.

Yami could have growled at the comment.

_'Got something? why would the jerk think that just because I...'_

Yami quickly stopped his thoughts, as he realised what Kaiba was talking about, and hesitantly touched his own face.

It was burning hot! And he had the nasty feeling it wasn't anything to do with the sun, or having a fever....

Both were good excuses though.

"Just too much sun!" He blurted out quickly, and rushed off to find the bathroom, not daring to look back at Kaiba, cursing at the irony that NOW he felt that shiver one could only feel when the CEO's eyes were upon them.

****

Yami wasn't sure how many times he had to wash his face before it felt cool enough to risk looking at again.

He hesitantly looked up to the mirror, and let out a deep sigh as his face seemed back to normal...or just about atleast.

Darn it! That was something that hadn't happened for quite some time...

Why on earth now? And why so sudden??

AND DAMN THAT RINGING!!

A small bell had been chiming in his head since he'd looked at Kaiba, but he just could not understand why...

And no! it had nothing to do with past feelings....that part he was sure of atleast...

"Found him!"

Yami turned to see Malik standing in the doorway of the men's room.

"Mind warning us the next time you descide to go running off?" Malik grumbled, though clearly exagerating his annoyance.

"Sorry...head was spinning alittle. Think I stood in the sun too long..." Yami repled, grateful that his voice descided to sound truthful this time.

"What? Do you need to sit down?" Yugi's anxious voice replied, a moment before he appeared next to Malik in the doorway.

"Na, I just needed some cold water on my face. I'm alright now yugi." Yami answered with a calm smile.

Yugi seemed alittle hesitant, but for once...much to Yami's relief...must have chosen to believe him, as he gave a soft smile in return.

"Well, maybe we should get some cold drinks....just to be sure?" He sugguested, though Yami didn't miss the quiet request.

All to happy to keep the white lie going, Yami nodded in approval, joking that he'd hate to pass out on them.

Even Yugi laughed that time.

****

"I don't feel so good..." Jou whined.

Honda moaned loudly in agreement.

"Well what did you think five hotdogs, a mega sized soft drink, and six times on one of the worst rollercoasters around would do?" Anzu scolded.

"We were supposed to hurl it all up right after we got off the ride...but it wouldn't come out..." Jou muttered, whilst Anzu just looked discusted.

"Think of something gross." Malik sugguested.

"How about imagining going around on the rollercoaster over and over?" Otogi added.

" Do you HAVE to throw up!?" Anzu protested.

"It sounds nasty, but believe it or not, it'll help them feel better." Malik replied smiling at her.

"Yami, please tell him how ridiculous that sounds." Anzu retorted, turning to the spiky-haired teen.

"Actually Anzu, I have to agree with him." Yami stated, " One time I felt horrible for nearly two whole hours, before I suddenly threw up. Not long after I did, I began to feel better."

"Ryou...you don't agree do you??" Anzu persisted.

"I...I'm not...sure..." Ryou stumbled, caught off guard by the sudden attention, " The last time I can remember throwing up was when I ate something bad, and I wouldn't stop throwing up..."

Yami didn't miss how Bakura's eyes twitched alittle, and resisted grinning. Obviously, Bakura remembered the time Ryou was talking about very clearly.

"How about more food? That would do your stomachs in." Mokuba put in.

"Doubt I could get myself to even swallow anymore. And already tried Otogi's suggestion. Its like counting sheep...doesn't work one little bit." Jou replied.

Otogi just frowned.

"Well then, maybe its time to think outside the box." Malik spoke up.

"What did you have in mind?" Honda muttered.

Malik went to answer, when he suddenly stopped, and looked around. No matter how long he had known Malik for, Yami just could not figure out why the violet eyed boy was now staring so anxiously at Mokuba, before moving closer to Jou and Honda, and whispering whatever his thoughts were. After a short moment, both boys looked horrified, quickly followed by incredibly discusted.

"Oh kami...that did it!" Honda blurted out quickly, before covering his mouth, and rushing away.

"Thats not even funny Malik! Its just plain sick!" Jou yelled in suprising anger, before he followed Honda's example, covering his own mouth, and running away.

"What on earth did you say to them?" Bakura asked, suprising the others with how curious he sounded.

Malik whispered his little idea to him, and Bakura doned an expression that seemed to say _'You actually said THAT?',_ though he otherwise didn't react.

"Whats the big secret?" Mokuba spoke up.

Malik froze, before looking around and chuckling nervously.

"Just...uhh....adult stuff..."

Mokuba frowned, not looking convinced. Clearly he didn't like to be left out because of an issue with his age, but he didn't press on about the matter.

"If its alright with you guys, I'd like to go find my brother. We left him behind after he told us where Yami had gone." The small boy said looking around.

Yami paused as he had been raising his drink towards his mouth.

"No offence Mokuba, but I doubt your brother would want to hang out with anyone but you." Otogi replied, attempting not to sound hurtful.

"Kaiba told you where I went?" Yami spoke quietly.

"Oh yeah. When we got off the ride, we couldn't find you anywhere. He told us you'd run off looking like you were about to overheat or something, so we figured somewhere like a bathroom would be the best bet of finding you." Anzu answered.

Yami stuck the straw of his drink in his mouth, and took a large mouthful. He was more willing to risk brain freeze than allow himself to start blushing all over again.

"Do you want a hand finding him Mokuba?" Yugi offered.

"Forget that..." Jou retorted, as he and Honda returned, looking pale and panting heavily, " Not that I don't want to help Mokuba, but Kaiba will only get pissed off at us for bothering him.

"Stop making it look like my brother is the biggest jerk in the world or something!!" Mokuba yelled defensively.

"Dont mind them Mokuba, we'll help you find him if you'd like." Anzu said kindly, before one of the others had the chance to say something to upset the small boy further.

"Wont be neccessary..." Otogi broke in, pointing passed them.

Everyone followed his gaze to see Seto walking their way.

"Niisan!" Mokuba called, and ran back to his brother's side, "Niisan, its my birthday, can't you stay with me??" He practically begged.

"I had to deal with some matters the owners couldn't handle on their own Mokuba, but I've told them I'll deal with anything else that isn't an emergency later." Seto replied calmly, looking to his brother.

Mokuba's face brightened as the meaning of his brother's words sunk in. Yami had to admit he was impressed. Seto Kaiba was putting buisness aside...or as much as possible...in order to spend time with his little brother.

Then again, everyone knew Kaiba would do anything for Mokuba. Spending time with him at a carnival wasn't bad at all.

No, the real problem for Seto Kaiba would be the fact that it would mean he'd be around the rest of them aswell.

As Mokuba hugged his brother, who in return, wrapped an arm around him, Yami and Seto's eyes met in a meutual stand off between fire and ice. Words weren't neccessary, as both ruby and sapphire eyes made the message clear to each other...

They'd willingly put up with each other's presence...ONLY to avoid hurting Mokuba.

In perfect timing with one another, they broke the gaze as the smaller boy pulled away to look up at his brother.

"Lets go on the ferris wheel!" He almost sang.

****

Yami was actually tempted to cheer for joy at how much cooler it was inside the ferris wheel carrage, though naturally, he resisted.

Resting his arm against the window, he stared out at the captivating view of the city below, a content smile upon his face, though it was merely a well crafted mask to the thoughts swirling around in his head.

His bandaged hand tingled just alittle as he remembered running through the alleyway, the darkness right at his heels.

He was angry at himself. He'd nearly been captured...he'd nearly lost this never ending battle just because he fell for a stupid illusion!

It was the real Bakura he'd followed into the city, yes, but he'd lost sight of his friend within the crouded streets, a perfect place for an illusion to make its appearance. He obviously hadn't been focusing, otherwise he would have known.

The shadow of his past, it was back, hunting him again, and had almost won. The only thing that stopped it was....

"GAHH!"

Yami cried out in suprise and pain as a finger shoved itself hard into his ribs. He grabbed his side in pain, and glared around at the culprid.

"MALIK!!"

"Well SOMEONE had to wake you up." Malik replied, waving his finger in a scolding way, which only served to annoy Yami more, which ovcoarse he knew was Malik's intentions, and that in return made him even more annoyed!

Yami literally growled at him, before looking back out the window.

"Yami, are you alright?" Anzu asked, touching his arm.

"I'm fine Anzu, but if anyone does that again, they're getting thrown out the carrage!" Yami replied, alittle harsher than he meant.

Yugi and Malik just laughed, though Anzu looked alittle startled.

"hey! what the heck are they doing!?" Malik yelled excitedly, as both he and yugi spotted something in the carrage behind them, where Jou, Honda, Otogi, Ryou and Bakura had all squeezed in.

Yami and Anzu both had their backs turned, and couldn't see. Nor did they get the chance to see, as Yugi and Malik both leaped up, and pushed past them trying to see better.

"Be careful!" Anzu scolded angrily.

"Malik! Your a dead weight! get off me!" Yami yelled in annoyance, feeling like he was going to be crushed.

"man, what exactly are they doing?" Malik repeated, laughing.

" Looks like they're playing strip poker or something!" Yugi laughed with him.

"With Ryou there? what are the chances they'd dare?" Malik said, pressing his face against the glass.

Yami just groaned, and took a break from trying to push the other boy away, when his attention was diverted. He didn't have clue what was going on in the carrage behind them, however, he had a front row view of the one infront of him.

The Kaiba brothers had taken a carrage themselves, and Mokuba was running back and foward staring out at the view, it was a suprise the carrage wasn't rocking with how fast he was moving.

As for Seto...

Yami could swear his heart had stopped.

Seto was....smiling?!?

He blinked rapidly, then looked again. There was no mistaking it. The Ceo was actually smiling. It seemed he was enjoying seeing his little brother's happiness, or atleast that was the only thing Yami could imagine would bring on the unimaginable.

Yami's emotions changed over and over from shock and slight horror, confusion, back to being calm, amused, happy, alittle smug that he was likely the only one from the group who had seen Seto smile...

Before they suddenly twisted into annoyance, envy......then....jealousy.

Why did only Mokuba get to see this side of Seto!? Ok, so Yami wasn't exactly friends with the CEO, but why couldn't Kaiba share that smile with others? Why did Mokuba get to hog something so soft, so warm, so.....

_'KAMI! WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING!?'_

Yami cursed over and over in his head, shaking it to rid himself of whatever strange, forein thoughts had been in there. He took a moment to compose himself, before he dared to glance back up.

Strange...had that true smile been nothing more than an illusion?? Kaiba was now staring out the window, a smirk on his face, his hand placed over his mouth lightly in a way that seemed like he was trying not to laugh or something.

Somehow that made Yami even more curious than the smile had. What would Seto Kaiba find so amusing that he would have trouble not....

_'SHIT!!'_

Malik went flying to the floor as Yami pushed past him, and laid on the floor, praying he was perfectly hidden from the sapphire eyes, which had so very suddenly turned to him!

_'Kami kami kami!! What is wrong with me today?!? Hes going to have a fit if he keeps catching me staring at him!'_

"Uuhh....Yami? What are you doing?" Yugi asked, raising his eyebrows alittle.

_'Shoot. Note to self, next time, just stick with staring somewhere else instead of dramatically leaping to the floor like a bomb was about to go off...'_

"Sorry...but I had some useless weight to get rid off..."

He grinned up at Malik, who was pulling himself back up onto the opposite seat.

"Heeeyyy!" Malik whined, but then just returned the grin.

"You should be more careful Yami...your hand..." Anzu spoke anxiously, and pulled him up by the arm, looking to his hand.

"Thanks Anzu, but its fine, I didn't fall on it..." Yami replied, pulling his arm away lightly as he sat back down.

He almost winced as Anzu looked like she'd been rejected, and looked out the window away from him. He groaned very quietly into his good hand, before looking back out the window behind where Yugi and Malik were once more sitting, but the carrages had moved so the one containing the Kaiba brothers could no longer be seen.

****

"So what now? I think we've pretty much done everything..." Anzu asked looking around.

All in all, the last few hours had been great. Yami had dominated the games, and won a prize for just about everyone, and to everyone's suprise, Seto had played once, and won a price for Mokuba.

Yami looked to the small boy, who was proudly carrying the black dragon plushie, just like Yugi had with his prize earlier.

Yami had kept the last prize he'd won himself, but was keeping it hidden in his pocket. It was a keychain that had a nicely crafted blue eyes white dragon figure on the end.

He knew he was being alittle silly about it, but it did feel alittle ironic, since Seto Kaiba, his rival, was the one whose signiture cards in dueling were his three blue eyes white dragon cards.

He glanced back to the CEO, and had to wonder if this whole 'hanging out' thing was any sort of struggle for him at all. He hadn't once broken into a fight with any of them, or made any sarcastic come backs...not even when Jou had challenged him at one of the games. Actually, he'd stayed silent most of the time, perhaps that was his way of dealing with this, so he didn't end up hurting Mokuba's feelings.

"How about one last spin on the roller coaster?" Jou broke in.

"Why not? the line is pretty short right now anyway. Besides, we'll have to head for the train soon, so we only really have time for one or two more things." Otogi answered.

"You guys haven't had enough of that thing?" Anzu asked in slight disbelief, though sounding more relaxed than earlier.

"Aaah, its worth the naeusea." Honda put in, sounding alittle high from sugar and a day of adrenaline rushes.

"Come on Anzu, you know you wanna..." Jou teased lightly.

" Well I don't know about that, but sure, why not?" Anzu sighed, but smiled at the same time.

"Coming Yami?" Yugi asked, looking to his dark half.

He'd eventually stopped worrying so much, and just allowed Yami to go on whatever he wanted.

"No thanks, three spins is enough for me." Yami said calmly raising his hand.

"Come on Bakura, one last ride?" Ryou cheered.

"My head is still spinning from the last dozen rides we've been on." Bakura grumbled back.

"Aawww....wimp." Jou teased.

"Not everyone enjoys hurling their guts out Katsuya!" Bakura growled, glaring around at him.

"Hey! go ahead and be a party pooper if you want, but don't get rude!" Ryou turned on him again, "If you don't want to go on, then fine, we'll go on."

Yami was certain he could actually feel cringes from both sides, as Ryou walked up to Jou and stood beside him. One cringe from Bakura, and another from Malik somewhere behind him.

"Tsk! Whatever!" Bakura shrugged trying to act indifferent, but no one was fooled, " Kuso! where is the damn bathroom!?" He muttered as he walked off, holding his head, suddenly looking like he really might be sick.

"Sooo...uhh...last count for the roller coaster?" Honda broke in, trying to lighten the mood before things got too tense.

****

In the end, Yami was sort of wishing he'd gone on aswell. He'd rather deal with naeusea than the awequardness of being left alone with Seto Kaiba, who was the only other one who hadn't gone on the roller coaster, even Mokuba had run off with the others, leaving his older brother behind.

He turned his attention to some kids watching a clown make balloon animals, anything to distract his thoughts.

_'Oh come on you baka! Stop being so pathetic. This is hardly the first time you've been this close to Seto Kaiba on your own, and it never bothered you before. Why are you letting it make you act so...silly?'_

It was hard not to blush at his own self reasoning. It was true, there were plenty of times Yami had stood beside Seto without any friends around, and he'd never gotten flustered about it. Just last year at the end of year award ceremonies at school, Kaiba had (unsuprisingly) recieved first place in his classes, and to his suprise, Yami had recieved second place in english and maths. He'd had to stand right beside Kaiba, and yet he'd payed no more attention to him than he would some random stranger on the streets.

_'Then again...' _the cursed alternate opinion in his mind thought..._'Its not like I never noticed Seto Kaiba before...'_

The ruby eyed teen risked glancing around to the other boy, who was watching something or other.

It was hard to believe he'd once felt something towards the CEO....sure...it was understandable WHY he'd felt that way at the time...but still....

"If theres something on my face, then just say it!"

Yami only barely contained what would have been a very loud swear, as he was once more caught staring.

"Can you not keep your eyes to yourself for five minutes pharoah!?" Kaiba almost growled.

_'Wait? Pharoah? When did HE start calling me that?'_

"Does your little brother have to be around for you to be nice Kaiba?" Yami retorted in the same tone, shifting his eyes ahead.

"And what other reason would I have to be nice to you?" Kaiba stated blankly.

Ouch. That actually hurt...

"Tsk. Guess I didn't expect anything more from an ice king." Yami grumbled, now angry.

"Then you'd expect right, stalker." Seto replied simply.

Yami felt his entire body freeze up into a solid statue of shock, before a flame suddenly flickered into life in his chest, spreading quickly through his body like a wildfire.

"What...did you just call me?" He whispered low, the anger in his voice as potent as poison.

"A stalker." Kaiba repeated, and the amusement in his voice was like a barrel of oil dumped on the fire.

"HOW DARE YOU!!"

Kaiba raised an eyebrow at Yami, who had turned to face him fully now. Clearly, he hadn't expected that much of an outburst.

"Don't you dare EVER call me that again!! Kisama!!" Yami couldn't help but yell.

Suddenly feeling sick at the very sight of Kaiba's face, He turned and raced away, the fire in his chest a full tank of energy, and he spared not a drop.

No person nor item could stand in his way as he raced around the amusement park. Anyone or anything that got in his way got pushed aside or dodged, right until all that remained of his energy was burning embers, enough to keep his anger lit, but not enough to move faster than a slow walk.

Nothing else had seemed real whilst he was running. Yami hadn't even been able to tell which obstacles were living and which weren't. Anger had been the only thing he'd been aware of, but now that the flames had dissolved, he could take note of just where he'd ended up.

_'Well, atleast I didn't unconciously find some other exit out of the park...' _He thought dryly.

He was still in the park atleast, though typically, it had to be creepy part didn't it? It had been done in a sort of gothic, haunted style, completely different to the happy, cheery style of the rest of the park. All around were stalls selling creepy items or gothic accessories.

Children were winning spooky prizes like plushie bats or witch hats, and a scream drew Yami's attention to a suprisingly well designed haunted house. He tried desperately not to smile as a moment later, a little girl came running out crying, her mother following behind, picking her up and hugging her, though she herself was pale and wide eyed.

_'Stop laughing asshole...a frightened child is nothing to find funny...' _A more sensible voice in his head tried to scold, but the look on the mother's face just wasn't helping him to feel as guilty as he knew he should have been.

Curiousity tempted him to see just what was so scary in the haunted house, but it wasn't enough to make him actually do so. Besides, something else had caught his attention.

A large purple tent that seemed too big to be squashed into the small corner it sat in was the culprid. It wasn't exactly clear just what about the tent had caught his attention, but he settled for saying it was the colour, which stood out from the black theme the rest of the stalls and amusements in this section shared.

_'Its the same colour as Malik's eyes...' _He thought calmly as he walked hesitantly towards the tent.

He would have laughed at the thought, but for some reason it creeped him out more than it amused him.

He almost walked into the violet material before he realised he'd reached it, and stood at the entrance, trying to peer through the small gap between the two curtains that formed the door, but it was too dark to see what was inside.

_'If I get in trouble for going into a restricted area, I'm going atraight home...' _He thought dryly, before pushing open the curtains.

It was too dark to see anything at first, for which reason he carefully shuffled his feet foward, as if worried a ditch in the ground might suddenly pop up, ready for him to fall in or something. After a moment though, he coud see a faint light not far ahead, so he slowly shuffled towards it, and came to another room within the tent. He looked around, realising it was bigger than it looked in here.

"AAH!!"

He cried out loudly and fell over backwards as he suddenly came face to face with someone.

Scooting backwards, he quickly looked up to face the intruder... before feeling unlimited gratitude that no one had been around to see what an ass he'd just made of himself.

The new person was nothing more than his own reflection in a large, rectangular mirror.

After a few seconds of recovering his breath...aswell as getting over his own embarrassment...he stood and looked in the mirror, thinking it was a strange place to find one just sitting there, atleast until he looked around anyway.

All the walls of the tent were lined with the same mirrors, side by side, presenting dozens of perfect copies of Yami staring right back at him.

"So this is a house of mirrors..." Yami chuckled lightly, relaxing completely.

He'd never been in one before, and admittedly, had never really been interested in them. But he had to say, it was actually quite funny being surrounded by images of himself...the mirrors somehow made the reflections seem almost real.

"Now which one was the real me again?" He joked to himself, before an idea suddenly clicked in his head.

Glancing around, just to make sure he was completely alone, he took off his jacket, placing it carefully on the floor, before letting the useless sling slide off his shoulder...it seriously wasn't helping his hand in any way. Slowly, he brought his feet together, raised an arm above his head, and let his eyes close with a deep sigh. In his head, he thought of the beat to one of his favourite songs. Keeping his eyes closed, he let his body bounce to the beat alittle, as it became clearer in his mind, filling his ears, as if he really was listening to it right then and there.

As he heard the music reach a certain beat, his eyes flashed open, and his body swung around, striking a new pose, before he began moving freely and smoothly. He laughed happily as he watched his reflections dance along with him. Not even Yugi knew he could latin dance, he had to admit he was alittle shy of admitting to it. Why exactly he wasn't sure, though didn't doubt a large part of it was due to the fact most of the boys at school paid you out if you were male and danced.

That annoyed him alot. There were world champion dancers that were male! But because of the fuss, he'd stuck to locking himself in his room and watching dance dvds....he really wished he could find a dance school to go to, but so far, no luck...

His moves weren't perfect, but he always felt so carefree when dancing...there was no worries, there was no danger, no fear, only him and his reflections, spinning...spinning...

The music was smashed into silence instantly, and Yami fell to the ground with a loud gasp of horror. The smooth ground that was nothing more than dirt was blemished by the marks of his nails as his good hand cletched in fear, his body trembling.

As he'd been spinning, smiling at his own reflections, one more had appeared...

But it wasn't one of his...

Fear crept up into his throat, choking him, as he fearfully raised his head.

Only his own images greeting him, each one reflecting his fear.

Glancing around to all the mirrors within his view, he slowly began to rise, desciding it was time to head back to find the others, where hopefully, his memories wouldn't rise up to play tricks on him...

His feet had only just found solid ground when a shockingly cold chill shot up his back, making him inhale sharply.

The laughter...it was right there, right behind him once more! He stumbled around fast, but found no one there.

Ok, it was DEFINATELY time to go! NOW!!

He turned, reached down, scooped up his jacket, stood back up...and screamed.

The intruding reflection had returned to just one of the mirrors, the one directly infront of him!

It stood right behind Yami's own reflection, showing a tall man, well built, with a mass of spiky, sandy coloured hair, sharp, cruel violet eyes, and a wicked, hungry grin.

Memories of the incident in the alleyway earlier flashed by in Yami's mind within seconds, aswell as the memories he'd tried to seal away all this time.

Perhaps somewhere in his mind, he wanted to try to calm himself, but common sense went unheard right now. Instinct had once more taken control, and once more, he ran, faster than even in the alleyway...actually seeing _'him'_ gave Yami a burst of energy, forcing him to go as fast as his body possibly could. It felt like something in his body would break under the pressure, but even that couldn't slow him down.

However, he soon realised that this tent was just as much of a trap as the alleyway had been. Yami couldn't tell which pathways he'd already taken, and he had no clue where the exit was anymore. There was no glimmers of light from the outside to show him the way, nothing but the black tunnels lined with reflections of the being....no....the monster who had haunted him this entire time. There was no knowing which one was real...if any were real. But for certain in Yami's mind, was that the real one WAS here, somewhere...

However, even the reflections were becoming hard to find, as darkness began to invade Yami's mind once more, blocking more and more of his vision with the forbidden memories that had been set free, clearer and clearer, until Yami was there...seeing it how he saw it the first time...

_"Please! Enough! No more!"_

_"You wanted this didn't you?"_

_"No!! Stop!! STOP!!"_

Yami was barely aware of how he triped from exhaustion, landing hard on his side.

_' He ran down the street, panting hard, his heart racing.'_

_'He glanced over his shoulder, then looked back quickly, begging his feet to hurry, the other person almost upon him, their hand stretched out, inches away...'_

He crawled backwards using his good hand, his hurt one resting on his head, as he yelled, trying to clear it, trying to see where he was now...

_' The powerful grip caught the back of his jacket, and yanked him backwards, into the powerful body behind him. He cried out as he was thrown down to the hard ground'_

_"Did you think you could deny me?"_

_'The growing pain in his body was only doubled, as he was raised, and slammed into a poll, feeling it bend behind him...'_

He yelped as his back hit something hard. A wall? A very smooth, slightly cold wall at that. He couldn't tell, he couldn't see anything...he didn't even know what was dreams, and what was real...

_"You...are...mine."_

The voice was quiet but absolute, filling Yami's entire mind, stealing the fuel that fear created, sucking him dry of energy, leaving only pain and exhaustion.

Instinct took the only option left to it...

He curled up in a ball, hidding his face within his knees, as the wall behind him seemed to erupt with coldness, which drifted around him, like arms ready to embrace him, a dark laugh claiming victory...

"YAMI!!!!!!!!!"

A yell of his name, before an ear peircing shatter.

Ruby eyes snapped open as something showered down on him. Glass...he noticed...as he glanced around, seeing it all around his feet, and on his clothes.

It didn't take long to figure out he was finally awake. The memories were still there in his mind, but they were quickly retreating back to the cell in which he usually confined them.

It also didn't take long to realising someone was standing over him, and he quickly looked up, finding a familiar face, cletching their teeth, eyes squinting in what must have been pain, as they were still posed from punching what he realised was a mirror behind him, blood trickling in little rivers down their hand.

"Ba...Ba....Bakura...??"

The white haired teen looked down at the sound of his name, and his fist finally broke contact with the now shattered mirror, only to curl around Yami's wrist.

"Come on!!"

There was a rare panic in Bakura's voice, as he pulled the other boy up, and dragged him through the tent. Yami watched as their reflections raced with them, sharing the urgency and panic, before they disappeared, cast away by blinding light, as Bakura wrenched Yami out of the tent.

He winced, the light painful at first. he covered his eyes, giving them shelter from the full brightness, before slowly letting the light back in bit by bit, until he let his arm drop, and blinked around alittle as his eyes finished ajusting.

The first thing that became clear was Bakura's face, staring at him urgently.

"Yami..." the Boy managed to whisper.

Then it all came rushing back. The fear, the pain, everything had stopped for just a few moments. Now it returned full force, and Yami suddenly collapsed trembling as terror sweeped through him.

"Yami!" Bakura repeated, and crouched infront of him.

This time he didn't wait for any possible watchers to turn away before he wrapped both arms around the shaking figure, holding him with a firm protection that Yami wasn't certain he could call warm, but never the less, felt safe within.

The feeling of security slowly allowed awareness of everything else to return, and Yami finally looked up, glancing over Bakura's shoulder, and blinked in minor confusion as he could swear he saw what looked like the edge of a white coat disappear around the corner.

"Come on..." Bakura mumbled quietly, and slowly pulled Yami up, supporting him as the boy's legs threatened to give way under him, "Lets get back to that blasted medical bay before those hikaris of ours tell us off for not getting there faster..."

Yami gave a weak, forced grin.

"Sure, but atleast give me enough time to figure out what the heck to say to Yugi this time..."

"Point seen." Bakura agreed quietly.

****

"WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED!?"

The quiet atmosphere in the medical bay had been very peaceful and calming, but naturally, wasn't allowed to last, as Yugi burst into the room quite abruptly, stopping only to find Yami's location, before running over to him.

"Yami...what happened??" He whispered, "We got back from the ride and you were no where around. We looked for you, but then one of Kaiba's security guards told us we'd find you here."

"I just got into a bit of an arguement with Kaiba, and stormed off." Yami answered, trying to hide both the guilt and pride at how well that came out.

Well...it wasn't completely a lie...

"What?? With Niisan?" Mokuba spoke anxiously as he walked in.

_'Damn it! Got careless...' _Yami thought, but managed to keep a straight face.

"It was nothing big Mokuba, they both just over reacted alittle..." Bakura cut in quickly before Mokuba could get too upset, "I think they were both just abit stressed out."

"Well, I guess things have been alittle hectic at Kaiba corp lately..." Mokuba admitted, looking down abit.

"What do you mean?" Yami blurted out before he could stop himself.

Mokuba instantly looked like he'd said too much.

"Uhh..sorry guys...I can't actually say anything about that. Company policy...you know?"

"Fair enough..." Anzu replied quietly.

"Ba...Bakura!?" Ryou suddenly gasped.

Bakura in return, stumbled back alittle in suprise, as his other half ran up, and took hold of his hand, which was now bandaged heavily, though Yami had made sure Bakura was aware of the fact that atleast HE could still move his hand.

"Wha...what...??" Ryou stumbled out, and after the recent tension between the two, Yami was actually caught by suprise as Ryou seemed just as paniced and concerned about Bakura as Yugi was about Yami himself.

"I just...cut it on some glass...just two or three stitches..." Bakura answered, glancing away.

"Nine to be exact sir..." The doctor corrected him.

Bakura was silent for a moment, and Yami thought he was resisting punching the doctor, before he suddenly turned to face him.

"Was it really nine??" He asked, sounding genuinly suprised.

_'Trust Bakura not to notice when he's having stitches.' _Yami thought almost frowning.

"So what actually happened? Whats with all the little nicks and scratches?" Jou asked, indicating to how Yami also had quite a few little cuts.

"Well, Kaiba and I got into a little tiff about something...seriously nothing important, but as Bakura said, I over reacted and stormed off..." Yami said, staying as calm as he could.

Bakura and he had been sitting there practicing just how they would explain this all to their friends, as completely dumb as that sounded...

"Anyway, when I got back from the bathroom, I asked Kaiba if Yami had gone on the ride aswell, but he said Yami had run off, and then contacted his guards around the park to report if they had spotted him anywhere." Bakura added.

THAT part had suprised Yami the most when he and Bakura had spoken privately earlier. He had trouble believing Seto Kaiba would have his guards on the watch out for him. The brunette had once more helped him out.

However...he wasn't ready to see look at the CEO again...not just yet.

"I wound up going into some tent, just out of curiousity, and it turned out to be one of those house of mirrors places." Yami continued, "I looked around for awhile, but suddenly got paranoid that someone was there with me..."

It was a struggle to keep a straight face at this part, as Yami's very heart seemed to cringe at the memories, especally at the one where Bakura had told him he'd found him curled against the mirror, the reflection of his stalker actually coming out of the mirror, about to grab the frightened figure!

It had sounded like something from a horror movie...but Yami believed every word of it.

"I'd been told where Yami was, so I went and found that tent, and entered. It was pretty dark other than the small lights that allowed you to see your reflections in the mirrors. We ran around in circles who knows how many times....me trying to find Yami, and him trying to find out who was there. In the end, we ran into each other...literally....I came around a corner, where Yami was standing. We stumbled over each other, and ended up going back into one of the mirrors." Bakura took over once more.

"Bakura's hand hit the mirror, thats where he got his cut from. I got more lucky, just a few minor scratches when the glass showerec down on us." Yami finished, before suddenly looking to Mokuba, "...We've agreed to pay for the mirror between us..."

"Don't you two worry about that, one mirror is no huge loss. I'm just glad neither of you got worse injuries..." The raven haired boy answered quickly.

"Well in anycase, perhaps it time we headed home, I think we've all had enough excitement for one day." Otogi spoke with a small shrug.

No one seemed to have any complaints about that. Yami just looked up at his friends, his heart sinking as they all began talking calmly with each other, thinking that everything was ok now.

He watched as Malik laughed and joked about something his ears missed, and cringed inside and out.

"You haven't told him have you...?" Bakura whispered.

Yami just shook his head silently. He'd told Bakura about the dreams he'd been having, and about the incident yesterday morning on the way to school with Yugi. He'd even explained in better detail the event in the alleyway earlier. However...explaining it to Malik...that was a hurdle he didn't want to try and jump.

"All doubt is gone now, he has to know." Bakura added, as if reading Yami's thoughts, or more likely, he shared them.

Yami bit his lip, and glanced up to where his friends were exiting the room.

"Malik?"

The sandy haired boy looked around with his happy-go-lucky smile, hugging a yellow cat plushie Yami had won for him earlier.

"Yeah? Whats up Yami?"

"Could you stay for just a second?" Yami spoke, unable to keep a quiver from his voice, "Theres something Bakura and I...need to tell you..."

****

_BTW, if anyone is unsure about any of the japanese I'm using in any of the chapters, feel free to ask._

_*pants*....man that was long...but was waiting for so long to get to that part._


	5. Chapter 5

_If the plot line is going a bit slow, I'm sorry...still just part of the attempt to keep everyone in character..._

_well, I think I got this chapter done alittle faster than the last one...someone correct me if I'm wrong ^_^'_

_BTW, if anyone is at all confused by any of the japanese I'm using in the chapters, please feel free to ask me their meaning :)_

_disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of its characters......if I did, I'd be demanding Seto and Yami plushies for all the fangirls out there!_

_Chapter 5:_

The trip back home was almost dead silent compared to the trip to the carnival...

Most of the others had continued to laugh and talk at first, but one by one, they had noticed the dark silence from their three friends sitting together, and slowly, they to had fallen quiet.

Yami glanced to his friends, knowing they were watching Bakura, Malik and himself whenever they thought the three weren't looking. He himself glanced to the two he sat with.

Bakura's elbow was proped up on the window sill, his head in his hand. His eyes were closed, and his eyebrows bent, showing just how troubling his thoughts were. He hadn't moved from that position for most of the trip.

Malik on the other hand, was still staring wide eyed out the window, the shock of what Yami and Bakura had told him still very much alive. He to, had barely moved from his current position.

When they finally got off the train, Yugi had tried to pull him aside for answers.

_'Later...please Yugi....later...' _Yami had quietly begged him, and hearing the desperation in his voice, Yugi had looked worried, but dropped the subject.

Yet another most unwelcomed fight had broken out between Bakura and Ryou. Bakura had said they were going straight home when Anzu suguested a sleep over, and Ryou had naturally protested. However, having also noticed how troubled Bakura had looked, he went along with him, though the two had continued to argue as they left.

Malik was almost like a zombie, staggering and everything, so Jou had volunteered to take him home.

Anzu, Otogi and Honda went they're own ways, all clearly worried, whilst yugi and Yami walked home together. To Yami, it felt like they weren't getting any closer, that the silent walk with his worried hikari would never end, and yet, he barely noticed as they finally did reached the house. He didn't even register slowly climbing the stairs, entering his room, slipping his shoes off, and collapsing on his bed.

Still hardly aware of his surroundings, he had then pleaded for sleep to come, and it had happily complied.

****

_The angel limped slowly. His injuries were bad...but he had to keep going...he couldn't stop...not for anything..._

_There was no path to follow, only darkness. Yet he continued to go foward, praying to find safety, though his hope was as damaged as his body..._

_A sharp pain in his foot made him look down._

_Ice. _

_Ice was everywhere._

_...He'd been here..._

_He continued over the icy ground, whimpering as his feet recieved new wounds, fresh blood staining the pure clean ice, until he finally found what he was looking for. _

_The gaint ice crystal towered over him, looming and ominous. _

_Reaching it, he tried to see within the icy barrier, desperate to see what he was sure was inside..._

_Yes! There! He was there! The other angel was in there!... Or atleast, he was certain it was... _

_There was a figure curled into a ball within the ice, face hidden by long, slender legs that were pulled into the chest, wings frozen by his side._

_Ruby eyes burned with tears of desperation, as the broken angel fell to his knees, his soul shattered. He banged hard on the ice, calling to the other angel, wanting to both free the trapped spirit, and find salvation himself..._

_But he didn't stir. The angel remained as still as the icy cage it remained within, as if locked into the ice sculpture as part of it._

_And then dread filled the fallen angel as the cold laughter caught up to him. _

_He turned swiftly to see the figure standing over him, sharp, greedy purple eyes, feircely spiked sandy hair, and a powerful hand, reaching out towards him..._

_"No! stay away! leave me alone!!" The angel yelled desperately, backing away against the ice._

_The figure only laughed, his hand getting closer. The angel raised his arms in weak defense, closing his eyes in despair._

_"...S-s-stay away! Please! I beg you!..."_

_The hand closed around his neck..._

_"MARIKUU!!"_

****

Yami wasn't sure exactly when the dream became reality, but found himself hanging halfway off the bed tangled in his sheets, before he realised he was awake.

He was aware that he was panting heavily, and had the feeling he'd been screaming before his brain had fully registered that the dream was over.

He heaved himself back up onto the bed as the blood began rushing to his head, just in time for Yugi to bolt through the door.

"Yami!?" The smaller boy gasped paniced.

The taller of the two glanced over his shoulder, some small part of his mind knowing the half asleep look was probably making him appear rather dumb.

"...So I _was_ screaming..." He finally muttered, looking away.

"Thats an understatememt..." Yugi spoke, his voice alittle calmer, "I'll be suprised if the neighbours don't come knocking any moment..."

Yami felt his hikari sit on the bed next to him, and glanced up to look at the amethyst orbs as their gaze made his back tingle alittle. He could see the questioning within them, the expectation. The smaller boy was waiting for something, the minor frown making it clear that the patience was atleast partially forced.

A small, incoherant sound slipped from Yami as he finally remembered the events of yesterday, and glanced away, gritting his teeth alittle as his whole body shivered in dread.

"Yami..." Yugi whispered gently, before suddenly shifting closer and resting his head lightly on his dark half's shoulder.

Yami in return, rested his head gently ontop of Yugi's, and a calm, soothing silence wrapped around them both.

Whilst Yami could remember wanting to keep it all from Yugi yesterday, he was undeniably grateful for his Hikari. They shared a bond that only others who held sennen items could understand. It was a love he couldn't quite put a name to, but found that brotherly love was sort of similar.

"I'm sorry for making you worry so much, Aibou..." He whispered to yugi.

He knew how people reacted to them calling each other aibou. He couldn't blame them for getting the wrong idea, and thinking he and yugi were together, but he didn't care either. Yugi would always be his aibou, even when the day came that he found someone he loved unconditionally as a lover, the name aibou belonged to yugi, and yugi alone.

"It was him...wasn't it...?" Yugi whispered in return, "...nothing else could make you act that way..."

Yami's eyes fell close as he leant alittle more onto Yugi. He remained silent, but knew that was the only answer Yugi needed, and turned his face into the smaller boy's hair.

" I didn't want to say, because its been so long since we've all had a day together, with almost all of us there....and...." He hesitated, "...I didn't want to believe it was true...I didn't want to know he'd returned...."

There was another small silence as Yugi's small hand took hold of Yami's larger, stronger one.

"But he has..." The soft voice whispered sadly, as Yugi also closed his eyes, "...Yami? Will you let me see...?"

A Shiver from Yami rocked them both, but after a moment that hardly seemed to exist, light and dark opened their minds to one another.

Yami couldn't help but whimper as he saw each and every memory, from the time he'd woken up before school two days ago, till just a moment ago when Yugi had raced into the room.

He heard a small whimper also excape Yugi, as they leant back from one another, and felt guilt stomp down hard on him as he saw the smaller boy crying.

" I never wanted to lie to you..." Yami whispered, as yugi reached out and touched his bandaged hand, " I just...didn't want everyone to get paniced, I didn't want to scare you....can you forgive me?" He pleaded.

Yugi stared up at him silently, just long enough to be uncomfortable, before leaning up and hugging his dark half.

" I can't promise I won't be angry later...but I suppose if I look at it from your view, I'd probably have done the same thing..." He whispered softly, though Yami was sure he could already hear the begining of the anger that Yugi had just warned him of.

For now that didn't matter though, and instead of worrying about it, he just returned the hug, enjoying the now calm silence, before yugi suddenly pulled back and looked to him with a puzzled expression.

"By the way, were you watching Kaiba a whole lot? Or was that just me?"

If the fear of revisiting that dream yet again wasn't looming over him, Yami would have wished he could suddenly fall asleep again, as he felt his face practically boil.

****

"You boys got any plans today?" Sugoroku asked as he headed for the stairs that led down to the game shop.

"Yes!" Yugi and Yami answered together.

Both had learnt the hard way that saying no meant there was no reason not to help out in the game shop that day. Sugoroku frowned alittle, no doubt knowing they really didn't, but he said nothing and headed downstairs.

"So whats the plan of excape?" Yami asked once Yugi's grandpa had left.

"Yami..." Yugi spoke firmly as he watched the other pour milk on his cereal.

"Yugi, I know you'd rather I stayed here, but, I really need to get out. We both need an actual excuse to get out of shop work, so come with me." Yami answered calmly, taking a mouthful of cereal, frowning at how....boring...it seemed compaired to yesterday's pancakes.

"Fine...but we stick to the main parts of town, and we get home way before sunset." Yugi practically ordered.

"Agreed." Yami chuckled, feeling alot more relaxed than earlier, " Want to ask anyone else out with us?"

"Hmm...not sure if anyone else is available..." Yugi answered, gazing up as he thought about it, "Jounichi went to meet up with Shizuka and Mai at the airport. Thats why they couldn't go to the carnival yesterday, apparently Mai won two tickets to a fancy resort in Hawaii for a week, and she chose to take Shizuka with her. And I have a feeling Otogi and Honda have tagged along just to see Shizuka..."

"That sounds like them.." Yami answered with a roll of his eyes, "... And today is Isuzu's birthday, so Malik will be occupied with that." He continued, " So what about Ryou, Bakura and Anzu?"

"Anzu said yesterday that she was planning to spend all of today studying and working on that english assignment, and you know how she can get with homework sometimes. As for Ryou and Bakura, I have no idea what they're doing, but I get the feeling maybe we should leave them alone today..." Yugi answered.

Yami silently agreed with him.

****

Lunch time on the weekend was always busy, and yet today seemed very peaceful in Yami's opinion, as he and Yugi sat at a small restraunt eating parfaits.

"So tell me..." Yugi spoke, catching Yami's attention, " Just what WAS with all that staring at Seto Kaiba yesterday?"

Yami looked up at the question, and felt an anxious twing at how Yugi's look was no longer meerly confused. The small boy was clearly supressing a smirk, as if ready to throw out a teasing comment at the first thing Yami said.

He frowned in order to stop his body from even trying to blush.

"My gaze just happened to fall in his general direction alot. I think your trying to read far too into it Yugi." He stated firmly, thinking it came out better than intended, but a poorly supressed laugh from the smaller boy showed that he hadn't been fooled.

"Oooh suuuuure....the highly popular ceo of Kaiba corp. just happen to put himself in your view every time you looked around..." The teasing began.

"Exactly." Yami stated promptly.

He focused on eating his parfait for awhile, not looking up as he felt the amethyst eyes watching him, before...

"Yami? I thought you were over that crush?" Yugi finally spoke, and yami was actually pleased to hear he was no longer intending to tease. Instead, he just sounded suprised and curious.

He gave a small sigh, desciding to let the conversation go on instead of diverting it.

"Well..I thought I was to..." He admitted, suprised though pleased that he didn't feel any blushing, " I thought it was just one of those silly crushes that you get over after awhile. Perhaps...it was alittle stronger than that. I mean, at the carnival... more than once...I actually thought....Kaiba looked....."

"Hot? sexy?" Yugi sugguested, and that small cheeky grin returned.

"Beautiful...I was going to say..." Yami corrected him, "Yugi...I know this will sound like a lie...but...I saw him.....smiling!"

Yugi raised an eyebrow, holding his spoon in his mouth, looking like he was thinking carefully about those words.

"Umm...are we talking...an actual smile here? You know, not just one of his normal smirks or smug looks? But an actual 'the-kind-everyone-whose-not-kaiba-are-capable-of' type smile??"

Yami just gave a nod as an answer, to which yugi gave a small frown.

"Your right...it does sound like a lie." He answered, taking his spoon from his mouth.

Yami just sighed, resting his face in his hand, letting his eyes wander the shops.

Ovcoarse Kaiba smiling sounded ridiculous, who'd ever seen Kaiba smile except Mokuba?

_And...myself..._

"hey!"

Yami scowled deeply at Yugi, who'd thought it funny to pinch one of his strawberries whilst he was preoccupied.

Yugi in return, just gave a big cheesy grin.

****

"Yugi, no already!"

"Why not you big coward!?"

"Aibou...say it slowly to yourself...."

"Say what?"

"The thing your asking me to do..."

"Why?"

"Just do it!"

Yugi grumbled in annoyance, though Yami wasn't distracted by the scowl that was reflected at him in the shop's window.

"Yami Mutou!....Go...ask...seto...kaiba...on...a............date??"

This time Yami grinned as he saw Yugi's look change to disbelief at his own words, and finally turned his gaze away from the shop window to look at the stunned boy.

" See? sounds pretty ridiculous once you actually hear yourself say it..."

"It wouldn't do if it was anyone else..." Yugi grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Your right. If it was anyone else, it would be a perfectly reasonable suggestion. But in this case, it would be like walking up to a proffessional boxer and calling him a pansy...your certain to regret it through intense pain...." Yami chuckled, and looked back into the shop.

"Calling a boxer a pan...what??...have you been listening to Jou and Honda's referances again?" Yugi questioned, sounding slightly amused.

"Yeah. Probably." Yami laughed.

"Hm? Just what are you looking at anyway?"

Yugi stared into the window of the jewellers, trying to see just what was catching Yami's attention so much.

"Its those necklaces..." Yami said quietly, pointing to the pair of necklaces he had seen the other day when shopping with Malik.

The ruby with the gold, and the sapphire with the silver. Such a simple design, and yet so beautiful.

They still captivated him for some reason, and yet he couldn't figure out why exactly.

"Well, I guess they are nice. I bet that ruby and gold would look great on you." Yugi spoke with a calm smile, before pointing to a small sign, "look! Everything in this window is up to fourty percent off!"

Yami looked to the sign in disbelief, as if not fully grasping it's meaning, and heard Yugi laugh.

"It must be fate!" The small boy teased, and dragged the slightly stunned, slightly confused taller boy into the shop.

Five minutes later when he was wearing the fine gold chain, and the blood red jewel, Yami couldn't help but agree with Yugi that it suited him, and thanks to his savings, it was within his price range.

But...

"Will that be all today sir?" The kind lady at the counter asked.

Yami's mouth moved to say yes, but only some jumbled, non-existant word made it out, as he looked around to the silver chain with the blue jewel. There was no question which one out of the two suited him better, but now that he was getting one, it was like he couldn't stand the thought of leaving either behind.

Now he realised that it was both chains that had been catching his attention, not just one.

"Come on Yami, your done right?" Yugi asked, turning to leave.

"Wait." Yami suddenly spoke, stopping yugi in his tracks, "...I'll take this one aswell."

****

_'Why? why?....why damn it!!'_

The question had started out as simple curiousity, but now Yami was getting frustrated by the lack of an answer!!

The silver chain hung delicately around his fingers, the ice blue jewel sparking from the sunlight.

Ever since he'd bought it yesterday, he'd been asking himself just why he felt he couldn't leave it behind. Now here he was sitting in his seat ready for his first class at the start of a new week of school, and he stil hadn't figured it out!

yeah...he was pretty frustrated...

He gave an annoyed sigh, and put the necklace away in his jacket for now. He'd try to figure it out later, when there wasn't silly girls peeking at it, whispering excitedly.

_'Honestly...do they think I got it for one of them or something? So I don't know exactly why I got it, who the heck would I get it fo..."_

And then the answer walked in through the door, gave him a swift, cold glare, and turned away once more.

Seto Kaiba made his way to the back of the room, and leant against the wall there.

Other students, including Yugi, Otogi, Anzu and Ryou were entering the room, and finding a place against the wall, by the window or on the floor, but even if they passed in view of the crimson eyes, none registered their existance in his mind.

The ceo's eyes caught the light well, and actually seemed to shine from where Yami was sitting. Had they always done that, and he just hadn't notice?

He forced his own eyes away, feeling like his heart was trying to excape his chest and make a run for it. He placed his hand over it in a weak attempt to steady the rapid drumming, and felt the necklace under his jacket...

Silver and blue. He didn't even need to question how much that would suit Kaiba...but...to even contemplate giving Seto Kaiba a gift? Jewellery none the less??

_'Do I have a death wish or something!?'_

"Hey, whats going on?" A whisper from somewhere caught his attention.

He turned to see Bakura looking to Ryou. The two looked abit awequard, but not really angry or anything.

"Our classes are watching the same movie today, but all the larger rooms were already taken by other classes for things, and the teachers didn't want to haul the tv upstairs to our room, so we've come down here..." Ryou answered quietly, though nice and calm.

Bakura gave a quiet 'oh' and a nod in understanding, before Ryou moved to go talk to Jou. for a short instant, Yami caught the longing in Bakura's eyes, and almost wanted to turn around and tell Ryou to go right back, but kept his mouth sealed shut. It took no thought to know Bakura wouldn't forgive him for doing it.

Something knocking his desk lightly made him look up.

"Hey...forget that our classes were watching the movie together?" Yugi chirped, resting his chin on his arms as he knelt by the desk.

" No. What I forgot was that HE was in your class..." Yami hissed quietly, though not at Yugi himself, just in a way to show his frustration.

Yugi blinked in suprise, but then followed Yami's very careful nod to the back, and spotted Kaiba. He gave an awequard grin to show he understood.

" Its just for an hour Yami...and hes not even in your view unless you look around...just...try to focus on the movie." He spoke encouragingly, before sitting on the ground by the desk.

The eygptian boy looked down to him, before looking back to the front as the tv was brought into the room, and the lights turned off.

_'Yes, its just one hour...I can last that long without worrying about mr-gorgeous-eyed-grouch in the back...'_

He settling into his seat comfortably as the movie began.

****

_'How did one damn movie take so damn long to finish!?'_

Yami was chewing his finger by the time that ONE hour (...which he personally felt was two or three...) finally came to an end.

He had managed not to look around to the back of the class with ease...

For about five minutes.

Some student had sneezed loudly, making everyone automatically look around, and Yami had been reminded of the Ceo's presence.

From there on in, it had been a struggle not to look around, and many times he had. Mostly it was just swift glances, but atleast one or two had been proper stares, for which he made a mental note to slap himself for later.

Yugi stood and stretched, before waving to Yami, saying he'd see him later, and headed out with his class. Malik gave Yami a light shove as he walked pass, and grinned over his shoulder at him, before returning to his seat, as he'd chosen to sit against the wall instead of at his desk. Yami just grinned back, and watched his friends, before shivering feircely as a cold draft seemed to pass by his side, and quickly looked to the floor, not daring to look up.

He couldn't tell if the Ceo was looking at him, or if he'd noticed his reaction, and he had no desire to find out. He just waited until he heard the teacher close the class room door, before he dared to raise his eyes.

Five minutes later, the class had ended, and they moved out for their next class, which Yami was NOT looking foward to, as he knew there was no way it would help his current state of mind.

P.E. was the next class...and would you know it?

That just happened to be the one lesson Yami shared with Seto!

It had been hard keeping his eyes off the hansome Ceo in english, but now it was just plain torture!

Kaiba was wearing shorts and a t-shirt like all of them, but it meant his arms and a fraction of his chest were in plain view. If it wouldn't raise eyebrows from his fellow classmates, Yami would have slapped himself silly as he actually wanted to cry in desperation.

_'Ok ok!! Seto Kaiba is gorgeous!! There, you happy stupid heart!?' _

Well, mentally shouting it felt alittle better. It helped calm him down as they began playing soccer. Yami and Seto practically squared off against each other, and after just a few kicks, Yami could almost have laughed as he felt completely relieved.

This was nothing more than a duel between them. Kaiba was battling him as he always did in dueling, and Yami in return, could just look at him and see a rival, and nothing more.

It was a long hard clash. Seto was taller, and had the leg reach over Yami, but Yami had speed to make up for it, and could quickly get to the ball when Kaiba kicked it clean away from the other players.

It could almost be called a miracle. Yami could enjoy this. He wasn't even thinking about the silly obsession with Kaiba right now. There was no awequardness, no fear or annoyance, just two powerful rivals going head to head.

An ear peircing sound suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts, and for a moment he had to wonder if someone had brought an alarm to school, but no, it was just the teacher blowing the whistle.

He sighed heavily, only just realising how out of breath he was, before looking up as he felt a familar gaze on him. Seto was looking to him again, and it was the biggest relief of all to note that the gaze was no colder than after a normal duel.

It was almost like Kaiba was saying what Yami had been thinking...that it was good to be rivals, even if there was no chance of anything else, that atleast was enough...

_'Oh!...kami...I hope hes not thinking that!That would mean he knew how I...'_

Once more, their timing was perfect as they looked away from one another, and headed back to the changerooms, though Yami didn't risk another glance up. Now that the duel was over, the pestering feelings were returning, and he wanted the calm to last as long as possible.

****

" Hey!! Haven't we run enough this lesson!?" Jou yelled as some boys knocked him as they ran around the change room, causing trouble and making others laugh.

" I don't know...I think Yami and Kaiba would have kept going all day if the teacher hadn't stopped them." Malik spoke, grinning around at Yami, who gave a light scowl, and rolled his eyes, though inwardly smiled to see Malik was back to his happy playful self...atleast on the outside anyway...

He pulled his jacket on, before placing the golden chain back around his neck, and let the ruby hang freely, where as he'd kept it under his shirt during english. Glancing to the red gem, he pulled the silver chain from his jacket and stared at it in his palm.

He had to admit...atleast in his mind...that it made him alittle sad at the thought of how good he was certain it would look on Seto, and yet he knew the bruenette would never take it even if he offered.

He didn't bother trying to cover the sigh that excaped him, as he grabbed his stuff and turned to leave, but suprise stopped him.

"Hey...wheres Kaiba?" He asked, trying to sound as uncaring as he possibly could.

Kaiba had come in last, there was no way even he could change _that_ quickly...

"In the bathroom next door. He always goes in there to change, didn't you ever notice...?" Jounichi answered, wrestling with his shirt as he got it twisted whilst pulling it on.

"He does?" Yami automatically replied, showing he really hadn't noticed.

"Its weird, why does he do that?" Malik asked, bouncing around alittle as he pulled one of his shoes on.

"Maybe hes got something to hide...?" Otogi joked.

As Malik and Honda joined in laughing with him, Yami for once felt annoyed that Otogi was also in their P.E. class. Momentarily noticing that Jou wasn't laughing, he turned and began walking off before he said anything that would most likely result in him just embarrassing himself.

It gave him no time to think. No time to contemplate every possibility from somewhere less obvious.

Seto Kaiba's open locker waited just until Yami was walking past to catch the boy's attention.

This couldn't be real. Seto Kaiba?? leaving his locker open!? There was no way! Not mr Kaiba corp. president! Not mr perfect grades, looks and everything except possibly attitute!

Temptation rested heavily in his hand, as if the fine silver chain was more like a solid prison chain, holding down its captive.

No one was looking in his direction...Kaiba was out of view...the locker was open just enough to slip a hand in and out with ease.

Was fate taunting him?? Was it planning to spring a nasty trap on him should he dare take the risk? Would Kaiba walk back in the moment his hand entered the normally secure locker??

No...it was too risky...it just wasn't worth it!

_'But...I want to see it...on you...'_

With a speed even his legs on the feild couldn't match, his arm flew into the locker, dropped the necklace, pulled back out, and then handed over to his legs, which carried him swiftly out of the change rooms to his next class!

...Whatever that was...

_'Kuso! Wheres my timetable!?' _He thought, panicing as he struggled to get his subject timetable to obiediantly get out of his bag, _**' **Do I even have a class now!? Or is it break time!? Oh __Why now!? of all the times to have a blank...why does it have to be when I'm running from what could possibly be a fatal choice!?'_

****

"Mutou san, what was the name given to the earliest settlers of Egypt's predynastic period?"

Yami looked up to the teacher at the question, not afraid to show his bordom.

"The Naqada culture, which spanded from around 5500 BC, to about 3100 BC, when Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt unified, and thus began the Dynastic period."

With that, he rested his head back down on his arms, ignoring both the disaproving look from his teacher, aswell as the admiring fan girls whispering to each other.

"And with that, we shale leave it there for today class." The history teacher finished, moving to his desk.

Yami joined in the choir of relieved sighs that filled the room. He really wanted to get out of school. It was the last period of the day, and he hadn't seen Kaiba since P.E. that morning...though he had to admit, that was probably a good thing...

"Just before you all go though..." The teacher began, pausing to scowl at the class, of which half had groaned in annoyance at the delay, "...There are just a few last minute notices..." He looked to the notice paper, "Firstly, cheerleader practice has been cancelled due to the practice area getting some matenance work after school..."

Could the girls in the class whine any louder!?

"Secondly, a few lost items were handed into the office earlier today. They include a red baseball cap found out in the playground, a brown note book found in the library, which 'convieniantly' had no name on it, and a small silver necklace..."

Yami's head shot up so fast it hurt his neck.

"Ooo! Thats my necklace!" A girl spoke up quickly, raising her hand.

"Is that so Miyagi san?" The teacher replied raising an eyebrow, " I for one certainly hope it isn't, seeing as it was found on the floor in the _men's _change room."

The girl blushed heavily, and tried to bury her face in her desk as half the class laughed.

Yami though, couldn't find any humor in it, as his mind was preoccupied in not showing how painful that stab had been to his heart.

_'So Kaiba just dumped it did he? I guess I'm not suprised, but still...' _

He cringed, wishing for once that the anger could over rule the pain.

" And lastly, all payments for next month's trip to the beach need to be paid by the end of the week. Any questions? Very well, then class dismissed." The teacher finished.

The class might aswell have sung hallelujah, with how much noise they made about being free from class.

Yami usually waited for most of the class to leave before he did, but this time, he didn't have the patience to wait, and simply grabbed his books and bag, and left the class room.

Well, he was getting what he wanted. The anger was taking over.

" Hey! Yami!"

He blinked in suprise, before looking around to Jounichi, who had followed him out.

" Hey...you ok? You seem alittle...edgy today?" He asked concerned.

"Huh? Oh, no I'm fine...perhaps alittle spaced out..." Yami answered as quick and calm as he could.

" About anything in particular?" Jou persisted alittle.

"No...just...not with it today. Must have left my brain in bed." Yami muttered.

Indeed he did feel alittle exhausted from the constant emotional rushes.

" Really? Cause in english and P.E. you seemed a bit..." Jou began, looking away, whilst Yami looking up to him swiftly, but the blonde just shook his head, "Nah, forget it." He looked back around with his normal casual smile, " You coming?"

"Ah, actually, could you tell Yugi I'll be a few minutes if you see him? I gotta do something before we leave." Yami answered, glad to steer the conversation in a different direction, despite the curiousity at whatever Jou had been going to say.

"What? your gonna spend even longer than neccessary in this place?" Jounichi joked, but then shrugged and began moving away, " No prob, I'll let him know."

The two waved as Jou walked out into the grounds, whilst Yami headed to the office.

_'If Kaiba didn't want the necklace, then fine! But he didn't have to dump it on the ground for someone else to pick up! That kisama! Very well, I'll just take it back, its his loss!!'_

He had to admit he was kinda impressed by his own anger, but let that fire burn for now, only controlling it enough that it didn't cause any unessassary damage.

He reached the office, and stood at the counter.

"Hi, I lost a necklace today, and they reported one found in the afternoon notices during last period."

"Very well dear..." The office lady spoke, " Can you describe the necklace you lost for me? I'm sorry, its just part of the security here to ask."

"I understand. Its a fine silver chain, with a small, ice blue gemstone on it. It was plain otherwise, but elegant looking." Yami answered with a kind smile.

"Oh good, I think we have a winner." The lady giggled, and reached under the desk.

Yami actually felt a wave of relief to see the necklace, as she held it out to him.

"You should really be more careful young man, that a lovely necklace. For someone special perhaps...?" She teased lightly as he took it back.

"Well, sort of...I guess..." Yami chuckled lightly in return, though his heart cringed painfully, " thanks for that."

"No problem. Just promise you'll be more careful with it from now on." She laughed lightly, before blinking in suprise, " My, what did you do to your hand?"

"Huh? oh...just, fell on it badly..." Yami answered, glancing to the bandaged hand, but kept the innocent smile plastered firmly.

"My my...well, in that case, better promise to be more careful with yourself aswell." She chuckled, fully believing the innocent act.

" I will, Konbanwa." Yami laughed back, and left the office.

The hallway was already empty, so about halfway down, he stopped, and leant against the wall, and casually dangled the necklace infront of his face.

" I guess that equals a rejection for us both..." He spoke dryly, almost as if he expected the necklace to answer back.

His voice echoed in the deserted hallway, despite how he'd only been muttering. He didn't really care though.

He suddenly enclosed his hand around the chain tightly, and grunted in frustration, looking to the ceiling.

"Kami I can be such a baka!!"

"hears to that."

Yami's heart really did stop this time. Or atleast he was sure it had, he would have been more certain of it, if his mind also hadn't completely stopped.

Footsteps rang loudly in the hallway, coming towards him.

Slowly, as his heart seemed to begin again, Yami carefully edged his gaze around, stopping as cold sapphires grabed his attention and locked it into place.

For the first time, he truly understood why even teachers sometimes got nervous from _his_ presence.

Seto Kaiba seemed to raidiate danger, and yami was convinsed he was going to strike him hard in the face any second, but he couldn't move his legs to get away. They had betrayed him, and frozen to the ground.

As Kaiba finally stopped infront of him, the silence returned to the hallway, and fire and ice clashed once more.

The moment the ceo had stopped, it was like the initial shock had worn off (however strong it had been), and Yami returned the glare he was recieving.

"What do you want kaiba!?" He growled defensively.

" I'm the one who should be asking you that." Kaiba stated just as harshly, " I'm the one who should be asking why you won't keep your eyes to yourself, and just why did I find some trinket in my locker this morning!?"

_'Trinket?? Your just determined to make my heart crack aren't you Kaiba?' _Yami thought bitterly as he looked away, "I don't have a clue Kaiba. I Don't know why my eyes seem to have a mind of their own whenever your around. And yeah...fine...I put the necklace in your locker...so what if I did?? If it was so very offensive to your ego, why didn't you just give it back to me rather than leave it on the floor for someone else to find!?"

"I didn't leave it on the floor." Kaiba replied shortly, making Yami look back around, "...And I didn't know it was you who owned it."

"What?? But...I thought you..." Yami began.

" I had my suspicions...but I couldn't be sure. So I handed it into the office under the impression it had just been left on the men's change room floor, in order to see who would come and pick it up." Kaiba explained calmly, "...after all...would you have gone to retreave it if I'd left it in the change room? Or if you'd known I was the one who'd handed it in?..."

_'...shit....shit shit shit!!' _The curse rang over and over in Yami's head.

Kaiba had actually planned this! And he had fallen right into the trap! It was true he wouldn't have risked getting it back out of the changeroom and being seen, nor would he have gone to get the necklace back if he'd been aware Kaiba was the one who had taken it to the office...that would have been all too obvious...but if some anonimous person had just stumbled across it and handed it in...

"What is it you want?" Kaiba suddenly repeated, his voice quieter, more serious.

The tone was still forboding, but lacked the usual viciousness and accusation.

Kaiba really wanted to know.

"I told you...I don't know..." Yami answered truthfully, exhaling deeply, tired of this silly conflict, and yet still wishing he could give a better answer.

There was a long silence between them, in which both seemed to contemplate what the other had said, or tried to understand what they were thinking.

"Fine." Kaiba suddenly broke the silence.

"...Fine...?" Yami repeated, his look asking for an explanation.

" Fine, I'll do this. But afterwards, you better learn to keep your eyes to yourself pharoah!" Kaiba answered harshly.

Yami could only answer with a completely _'what the heck are you talking about?' _look.

" A limo will arrive at you place at six tonight. Be ready to go, and dress descently for a change!" Kaiba ordered.

And without another word, he walked past the now stunned pharoah, and moved away down the hall.

Yami had thought his body was frozen before, now he felt like a living statue. Even as his phone rang, his body only moved as much as neccessary to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Yami! Where are you already? Jou said you'd just be a minute, hurry up slow poke!" Yugi's cheerful voice rang into his ear.

"Oh...sure..be right there Yugi..." He answered almost robotically.

"Hm? Yami? You sound weird, whats up?"

" I could give you a thousand guesses Aibou...and you'd never get it right."

****

_*phew* ......well it took till 3am in the morning to finish the rough copy....and from 11am till 1:20 pm today to get the good copy done.....but....I think it worked out alright....finally! something has begun!_

_hope everyone enjoyed._

_reviews will be loved, though just reading will still be loved to._


	6. Chapter 6

_wow...when I originally thought up this fanfic, I never got this far with it....but I'm happy I have :) weither its very good or not...._

_hmm...a tiny bit shorter than the last two...but hey, lol, thats probably a good thing._

_To all those who have been patient with my completely slow updating, thankyou very much, I hope this is worth it._

_disclaimer: I do not own yugioh or any of its characters._

_****_

_Chapter 6:_

"For the sake of my sanity...WHERE THE HELL IS THAT THING!?"

"What thing?"

"My black shirt!"

"Uhh...Yami? Just how many of those do you have?? Alittle more detail please..."

"You know the one I mean! That really nice silk one! You know? That Anzu was dying to see me wear!"

"Ohh yeah...well, it has to be here somewhere. But whats wrong with the red one your wearing?"

"Its too bold!!"

"But it suits you perfectly..."

"AAH! I thought I kept my closet cleaner than this!!"

Yugi watched helplessly as Yami raced around his room looking ready to tear his hair out. He himself was still rather shocked by the news that his dark half was going on what sounded like an actual date with the one and only Seto Kaiba. The word "date" had never actually been used, so Yami had insisted that it wasn't a date...and merely a 'casual meeting'....

_'No one gets flustered over casual meetings...not even with mr. Kaiba corp. president..." _Yugi thought to himself, sighing inwardly as Yami nearly tripped himself.

"Yami..."

"WHAT!?"

_SLAP!_

Yami stopped in his tracks as Yugi's tiny hand come up to slap him lightly across the face, though in his current state of mentality, it worked aswell as a harder slap would.

"...Are we calm now...?" Yugi spoke gently, lowering his hand.

Yami felt his knees wanting to buckle underneath him, and rested his head on Yugi's shoulder lightly.

"Aibou...what in the name of Exodia have I just gotten myself into...??" He practically whimpered.

"Calm down you big baka...you said yourself that its not a date..." Yugi spoke encouragingly, "...even if it is..."

"YUGI!"

" Jodan..." He giggled, "Look, stop letting this freak you out. Just pretend your going for a duel with Kaiba like you've done before. Take your deck with you if it'll help."

"But I don't even know whats going to happen Yugi..." Yami mumbled, " All Kaiba said was that a limo would pick me up, and that I had to dress well..."

"Oh? And that DOESN'T sound like a date to you??" Yugi replied as he sat on the bed.

"Not helping hikari..." Yami muttered, digging through his closet, "YES! Here it is!"

He finally pulled out a nice, silk black button up shirt, and held it against himself, looking to Yugi expectantly.

"Hmm...yeah, ok, the black one is better..." Yugi replied, giving a small shrug. " But at the same time, with the black pants, its..well...too much black. It needs...something...wait! I know!." He added as Yami changed shirts.

He jumped up and rummaged through the draws that Yami had already pulled apart.

"Here we go." He almost sang, and handed Yami a red belt with a gold buckle.

Yami finally managed to smile, and took the belt gladly, putting it on, before slipping the gold chain around his neck once more. He looked at his image in the mirror, feeling satisfied, but none the less, looked to Yugi for his opinion.

"You look just fine." Yugi almost laughed, and held out the pouch holding Yami's duel deck, " Now lets get downstairs and wait for your shiny black charriot to carry you away to the castle-sized mansion, where you shale be swept up by your knight in hot black leather!"

"YUGI!!!"

****

_'Slow down. Please, I'm not ready for this!!'_

_'You already agreed to do it.'_

_'Marikku, please, I was wrong...'_

_'You already made the choice. Don't be selfish!'_

_'STOP! PLEASE STOP!!'_

Yami shook his head feircely as a bump in the road snapped him out of his thoughts. He'd been trying to calm himself down during the limo ride by thinking about anything but where he was going, but unfortunately it seemed his thoughts had taken a very wrong turn.

"We're here mr. Mutou." The driver spoke, and Yami realised the sudden jerk of the limo hadn't been a bump, but the vehicle stopping.

"Oh, uh, right. Thankyou." He answered, and opened the door.

It seriously felt like he had to drag himself out of the vehicle, and he almost slammed his hand in the door as he closed it.

_'Yami mutou, for Kami's sake! calm down!!' _He shouted in his own head.

With weights for feet, he slowly made his way towards the intimidatingly large building, craning his neck just to see it properly.

"Name please sir."

Yami glanced back down at the guards at the door, and shoved as much of his fear back as he could.

"Yami Mutou. I'm expected...I think..."

His face threatened to twitch nervously as the guards raised eyebrows from under their dark glasses, before one spoke into an earpeice.

"Mr. Kaiba, theres a Yami Mutou waiting outside. He says..."

"Let him in!"

The guard stumbled alittle at the harsh command from the all too familar voice, almost like Kaiba was standing right behind him rather than speaking over an earpiece, and that made Yami smirk, much to his own suprise. Had he just thought the guard's reaction funny? Or did he actually like the way Seto had spoken? A sharp, quick comeback that went against what the guards obviously thought, and yet they had no say in the matter...?

"Uh...r-right away !" The guard answered swiftly.

He and the other guard quickly opened the doors, and stepped aside to allow Yami entry. The ruby eyed teen looked back up at the building once more, his smirk drifting from his face.

_'I'm not ready for this...'_

He heard the one little part from his memory whisper, before he stepped inside.

****

Yami could just never get used to this place. He'd been here before for duels with Kaiba, and yet everytime he was certain he would get lost if he took just one step.

"Yami!"

Yami wasn't sure if he was anxious or relieved to hear the younger of the Kaiba brothers call his name, but turned to face him regardless.

"Niisan said he had a meeting with someone tonight, should have guessed it was you." The small boy almost cheered with his big adorable smile, "Ready to take him on in another duel!?"

"Huh? o-oh right, yes, indeed." Yami replied, quickly making himself grin, and tapped the card pouch on his belt.

"Well then, right this way!" Mokuba said happily, and turned to lead yami down the hallway.

Yami followed, rubbing his face. Grinning so fast had been painful, he was certain some muscle or other had been ripped. He tried to memorise the path Mokuba was taking for future referance, but gave up half way. The halls all looked the same, he'd never find anything in here without guidance.

_'How does Kaiba find his way around?? I couldn't do it if I lived here all my life! The sennen puzzle is less confusing than this place!'_

"Here we are...oof!! Careful!"

Yami blinked in suprise as he suddenly bumped into Mokuba, who'd come to a stop infront of a set of doors.

"Ok, Niisan said to bring you here. You just go through these doors, and then take the left one in the next room, simple." Mokuba instructed, pointing with his thumb.

"Very well, thanks Mokuba." Yami spoke, his voice lacking any sort of tone.

He pushed the door open, and wandered in, feeling sorry for Mokuba, the poor boy must have been too young to catch on to what may really have been happening.

" Oh, Yami?"

"Hm? yeah Mokuba?"

Yami's stomach cringed as a grin very similar to one of Yugi's crossed the raven haired boy's face.

"You look pretty hot in that outfit, but you still can't beat my brother!"

With that, the boy disappeared and the door closed. Yami wanted to fall to his knees under a freezing cold shower, his body was about to burn up!

_'Calm down! Ok, so what if Mokuba knows? Actually, whats there to know...? Your just here for a duel like normal. Its just...taking place in a different room...and...Kaiba wanted to get dressed up for it...nothing unusual...'_

Yami quickly gave up with the self motivation, and just forced himself to stand. His heart was drumming as he walked towards the next door, but his strength was returning...his expression was strong but calm, and his legs finally stopped shaking.

A very deep, very slow breath, and he opened the door.

It was brighter than he expected. the room was rectangular, with walls that were a pale shade of blue, and a white ceiling. There were no windows, and only one picture, which was a massive painting of a blue eyes white dragon standing on a cliff with a feirce, stormy background behind it. Beneath the painting was an elegant white fireplace with skillful carvings over it, though it looked like no fire had been lit there for years. Two beautifully crafted crystal chandelliers hung above a polished wooden table, surrounded by about six matching wooden chairs, one of the end ones sat directly infront of the dragon painting, so if people looked to the one sitting in that seat, they'd see the dragon painting right behind them aswell.

Yami frowned as he quickly realised that was clearly where Kaiba sat.

"Mr Mutou I pressume?"

Yami glanced around at the voice. He'd been too preoccupied with the room to hear someone enter. It was clearly the butler, whom was alot younger than those cliche old man butlers you saw in movies. He looked around his thirties or fourties.

"Mr Kaiba will be along shortly, why don't you take a seat sir? Would you like any refreshments while you wait?"

Yami had to offer a small smile at the butler's politeness.

"Thankyou, but I'm alright, the offer is appreciated though."

"As you wish sir." The butler replied, before quietly leaving the room.

Yami's smile faded once more the moment the man had turned his back. The lovely room had calmed him for a moment, but now his stomach was knotting painfully again, though he allowed it to cause him agony if it meant he stayed calm on the outside. The last thing he needed to do was embarrass himself further infront of the ceo of Kaiba corp.

"Did the driver take the long route here again?"

_'Oh Kami...here we go...'_

Yami turned to face Kaiba, whom he hadn't even heard come in, and almost choked as his voice threatened to squeak in shock. Kaiba was wearing long black pants and black boots as usual, but was also now wearing a long sleeved, deep blue shirt very much like his own, with a few of the top buttons undone. It was so strange not to see him wearing one of his usual long jackets, he somehow looked...smaller...though by no means any less intimidating.

_'Yeah, ok, you win Mokuba. I can't beat THAT!' _

Seto turned silently and walked over to the seat Yami had correctly chosen to be his, and sat down. When Yami just stood there silently, the ceo turned his gaze to him, and made a guesture with his hand, as if to say, _'...well...?'_

Quickly catching his meaning, Yami sat in the seat on the opposite end of the table, not liking it one bit, since it meant looking directly at the ceo every time he looked up. He'd barely made contact with the chair, before kaiba snapped his fingers loudly, and the butler returned, pushing a trolley with two plates of assorted food upon it. Yami couldn't help looking alittle awed by the food. Sure, he'd only expect such fancy food from Kaiba, but that didn't at all take away from its appetising appearance.

_'But...can I even stomach food right now...?' _He wondered, praying to any and every god that existed that his stomach would _not_ reject anything he put in it.

The plates were just appetisers. Various tiny morsels of food he couldn't register the identity of right now. It had just struck him hard that this was real. He'd thought he was aware of it already, but now the confused daze was gone, and reality practically glared at him.

He watched as the ceo took one from his own plate, amazed at how he seemed to place it so carefully in his mouth, and yet didn't look like he was putting any thought into what he was doing. How could he possibly do both at once??

As the Ceo glanced to him again, he quickly turned his gaze down to his own plate, and grabbed the first thing that his hand touched, and shoved it in his mouth. It was some sort of crispbread that crunched pleasantly between his teeth, whilst his taste buds were met by an onslaught of flavours like cheese and certain herbs he couldn't name. It tasted so good that it nearly made him fall out of his seat. He thanked kami for having enough mercy that he didn't.

"Well, your chefs certainly know what they're doing..." He had to admit once he'd swallowed.

"I wouldn't hire them if they didn't." Kaiba stated flately, "However, they have a nasty habit of making too much, so I'd recomend not filling up on these...theres alot more to come." He finished, placing another in his mouth, before nudging the plate away with his fingers boredly. Yami didn't answer, but looked to his own food, and took another peice himself, whilst his free hand settled on his stomach, out of Kaiba's sight.

_'Easy stomach...stay with me alittle longer....' _

****

The entree that followed was a soup called _'...avgolemono'_...or something. Yami had paniced at the thought of trying it when he found out it had eggs and lemon in it, but had been suprised to find he didn't mind the taste at all. The main was one of Yami's favourites. Lamb shanks. He almost moaned at how tender and delicious the meat was, but managed to reduce it to a mere smile, though wasn't sure weither or not he liked the strange look Kaiba gave him in return...he couldn't figure out if it was confusion, or an attempt not to smirk. Finally dessert came. It was a generous slab of caramel cheesecake with a dollop of cream, strawberries and chocolate sauce drizzled over the top. It was a struggle not to rush eating it, since Yami wanted to savour it as long as possible. He was just about finished when he noticed Kaiba had just finished his peice. Normally ovcoarse, this wouldn't be a big deal, except that the dessert was the only course Seto had finished. He'd had just a few of the appetizers before he'd pushed them away. The soup bowl was still half full when he'd finished with it, and even the lamb shank had still had meat left over on it. The cheesecake however, was totally gone. There was still abit of cream, and just one of the strawberries had a bite taken out of it, whilst the rest remained whole. And yet, only a crumb of the cake itself remained.

_'Well..that seems alittle odd. Out of all those dishes, I would have guessed the dessert would be the one Kaiba chose to ignore. Was he perhaps leaving room just for that?" _He quickly stuck his last peice in his mouth to stop smirking, _'Ha, seto kaiba with a sweet tooth?? That would be amusing, but if that were the case, then I don't see why he'd leave the cream and strawberries...'_

"So."

Yami quickly turned his attention back to the ceo, his full stomach suddenly flipping again. They'd barely said a word to each other during the entire meal, other than an occassional compliment about the food from Yami, and seto giving a quick response to it.

_'Did he have to feed me 'before' we talked?? Theres just more chance of me throwing up this way...'_

"Tell me. What exactly provoked you to try and sneak me that necklace?" Seto asked, resting his chin on his fist in an almost bored way.

Yami put down his fork, taking a moment to steady himself.

"Seto Kaiba, I have to be honest and tell you that I'm not sure what I was thinking myself when I did it. For some reason I bought it the other day...and...well, I thought it would suit you more than me."

"And yet despite being so sure of it, you didn't have the guts to just walk up and hand it to me?" Seto replied, almost accused.

"Really Kaiba, like you would have accepted it if I'd tried. You'd have told me to get lost!" Yami bit back offended.

"Probably..." Kaiba replied with a smirk, before adding in a quieter voice, "...But...how could you be certain?..."

Yami looked taken back. Was this a joke? Was Kaiba actually saying he might have taken the necklace if Yami had just...

"Unlikely! You care too much about your pride to have taken something like that from me!" He spat, but felt a jab in his heart.

"Are you pressuming how I would act? When you can't even work out your own actions?" Kaiba replied, and the smirk had vanished.

The sudden seriousness suprised Yami. Could...could it really be true?

"What...what difference would it make??? Either way, I gave it to you..." He rushed, looking down.

"You didn't give it to me, you shoved it in my locker when I wasn't looking, and ran like a scared rabbit!"

Yami felt like a scolded child, the harshness forcing his gaze up.

If you want any chance of me accepting it, then try actually giving it to me!"

Cold silence filled the room, but Yami's own heartbeat filled his ears. Kaiba was watching him, waiting. Was he actually giving Yami the chance to give him the necklace then and there?? A lightly tanned hand touched a small pocket on the black silk top, where Yami had slipped the silver chain before leaving home. But how did Kaiba know he'd brought it?? Was it just a hunch?

_'What am I going to do?? I...I think Kaiba is actually serious about this! He wants to see if I'm brave enough to hand him the necklace face to face, no sneaking around or running away....but...even if I could...what will happen then?? Will he just laugh and tell me 'good effort, but not interested?' ...and...what if...it goes the other way? Oh kami...do I...do I WANT it to go the other way?? I thought this was nothing more than a silly high school crush, something I could get past if I just got to spend this small bit of time with him...so...why won't my heart calm down!?'_

"Something wrong pharoah?" Seto asked casually.

_'Great..now hes mocking me...glad 'hes' finding this fun...' _Yami thought bitterly, unable to help a frown.

"Come on!" Seto suddenly shouted, all mocking gone from his voice, "You'll gladly step up to face me in any kind of fight without fear, and yet when its something like this, you can't even speak!"

Anger boiled in Yami's stomach.

"Can you blame me Kaiba!? This is YOU after all!"

That comment swung right around and slammed back into Yami's face. He had not intended to say something so horrible. The silence from Kaiba showed that his words had hit the mark.

"Kaiba...I-I...." He tried to start.

"No, your right..." Kaiba interupted, "It is me, Seto Kaiba. Cold, ruthless, unforgiving president of Kaiba corporation. I don't give a thought to those packs of dim-witted obsessed girls that think they can just follow me around! I wouldn't accept a gift from them, so...why SHOULD I accept one from you?"

Yami gritted his teeth, it was truly painful just how cold kaiba really could be, every single word stabbing him.

"Why did I tell you to come here tonight? To give you a chance to stop hiding and running like a coward! To stop sneaking glances when you think I'm not looking! And to stand strong infront of me like you always have!"

Kaiba suddenly stood, his hands slamming on the table.

"....And you know just why I gave you this chance...?" His voice went quiet, and though it kept beating, Yami's heart seemed to go quiet just to hear what the ceo would say, "...I gave you this chance, because your the one person in that entire school that didn't flinch when I looked at you!"

Suprise fell like a curtain infront of the fear that had almost been blinding Yami.

"So if you have something to say pharoah, then face me as you always have! Stand infront of me, and say what you've been avoiding for the last few days! Frankly, I no longer care so much about whatever it is, but if you don't have the courage to do it, then there goes whatever respect I had for you!"

"Don't you dare blackmail me Kaiba!" Yami suddenly shouted back, standing fast, his anger burning throughout his body.

"I'll do as I please Mutou!" The brunette shouted in return.

Once more, fire and ice clashed feircely.

"Do you want to know why I agreed to come tonight kaiba?" Yami suddenly whispered, though loud enough to make sure the other boy would hear him, " I came tonight because I wanted to know how I really felt!"

He wasn't as suprised as he'd thought he would be at his own words.

"I came because I wanted to know just why my body suddenly seems to be reacting on its own when your around. Why I couldn't help but to look at you whenever chance came, and just why I felt like I wouldn't forgive myself if I didn't get you the stupid necklace!"

His fists clenched by his sides.

"The truth is, when I bought the necklace, I didn't know why I wanted to get it so badly. It wasn't until when your english class joined mine to watch that damn movie. It was only then I understood. I..."

He hesitated to speak. He was battling with strangling fear, wanting more than anything to say what was on his mind, no matter what outcome came his way.

He noted that Kaiba was silent, his eyes upon him, cold, but not feirce or dangerous. He was waiting, listening. He clearly wanted to hear what Yami had to say, ready to make his own judgement about the topic.

He had to do it. Kaiba was actually giving him a chance to speak, he couldn't throw away such a rare opportunity. Taking a deep breath, the oxygen held back the fear, and he gave a calm but strong look at Kaiba, a shimmer in the sapphires acknowledging that new strength.

"Seto Kaiba, I..."

Fate always loved horrible timing, and obviously couldn't resist allowing a security guard to bolt in through the door at that moment, making both boys look around.

"Mr. Kaiba sir! Theres a security breach! Its the hacker again!"

Yami glanced around, watching as Kaiba turned to face the man.

"Whats your name?" He asked calmly.

"Huh?? oh...its...its...Maki Yamada sir...." The guy answered, understandably caught of guard.

"Hmph. Well...Maki..." Kaiba started, and began to walk away from the table, "Expect your pay check to be rather low this week."

"W-w-what!?" Was all the guard could get out, the uneccessary dark glasses slipping down his nose slightly.

Kaiba turned to him sharply just as he was passing by.

"I gave specific orders that I was not to be disturbed for anything! If you haven't already picked it up in the time you've been here, I don't accept insolence! now get out of here!"

The guard certainly didn't hesitate to follow THAT order. Yami hated the guard for interupting at exactly the wrong time, but he had to admit, that was harsh...especially if it was some sort of emergency.

"Kaiba..." He managed to mumble, as the ceo turned and began walking out of the door.

"I have a company to take care of!" Was the short, cold reply, "Hope you enjoyed your stay."

That last sentence was filled with the usual sarcasm and icy touch, and Yami was left standing there in silence as the door closed behind the brunette. He stood there alone for sometime, just staring at the door, as if some small part of him was trying to keep hope that the taller boy would suddenly walk back in, say things were under control, and tell him...even harshly if he wanted....to begin again.

"Tsk. Thats not going to happen though is it Kaiba...?" He finally grumbled, now glaring at the door, "Ovcoarse your company comes before someone else's feelings!"

With that, he turned, and stormed out the door he had originally come in. He heard a call of his name as he made his way down the hall, but didn't turn to greet the younger kaiba brother this time. His frustration grew as it took awhile to find an exit, but eventually, he found the way out the back, and spend atleast seven minutes finding the right path to the front.

"How the hell can it be hard to get from the back to the front of a building!?" he almost yelled, and glared around at the oversized construction, his teeth actually clenched. The limo was waiting for him as he moved towards the gate. He felt so desperate just to walk the entire way home, but just before he could walk past, the last few days came back to him, and he thought better of putting himself all alone on a dark, quiet street.

****

"Ah, there he is. How did your duel with Kaiba go? Beat the over priced pants off him again?" Sugoroku piped up as Yami walked back in the door.

Yami gave a quick glance to Yugi on the couch, who winked. Yami was grateful he'd clearly covered for him, telling his grandpa he'd been going to a duel. Sugoroku was alittle old fashioned...he wasn't cruel, he said people should like whatever gender they wanted, but it was still clear he'd likely be alittle unsure about Yami being on a date with Kaiba, weither he meant it or not. He wished he could atleast give his Hikari a smile, but right now, it was hard to express his gratitude. He could see the egerness in the large, amethyst eyes, wanting to know how it went, but he wasn't ready to answer.

Making some sound that wasn't a real response, he walked past them both, and straight up the stairs to his room. His shoes went flying across the room as he kicked them off, having forgetten to as he first got it, before he collapsed on his bed. Only a moment later, he could feel Yugi's presence outside the door.

"Yami?"

The teen didn't turn at the sad whisper. His Hikari understood, or atleast enough. He heard the small boy enter slowly, still not looking to him as he felt the bed shift under the new weight.

"I'm sorry..." Came another whisper, as Yugi gently rested the side of his face to Yami's.

"Aibou...don't you dare apologise...Kaiba was just how he always is...I don't know what more I was expecting..." Yami whispered back, the hurt clear in his tone.

Yugi made a sad sound, but otherwise didn't answer. The two stayed like that for bit, eyes closed, but just for a moment, before Yugi moved back, and stood up.

"I'll be downstairs." Came the final whisper, before he reluctantly left the room.

"...Thankyou...Aibou..." Yami mumbled quietly.

The boy had known he needed...and wanted...some time along...not forever, he would soon enough want Yugi's company once more, but atleast for now, he needed some time. His teeth gritted as images of the ceo seemed to flash before his eyes.

"Damn it Kaiba. You obviously don't care about me..." He growled, his eyes burning, "...so...why won't you let me say...I hate you??...Why can't I say it!?"

A single tear slipped free of the rubies, and he buried his face within his pillow, allowing no attention to anything but the pain and rage.

****

"Security is back up at one hundred percent sir, and the hacking attempts have ceased. The intruder has withdrawn..." The scientist reported, looking just as relieved as the other workers that ten minutes of very intense security enforcing was finally over.

"About time." Kaiba growled, sitting back in his seat, his strong fingers twitching in a mix of rage and adrenaline from the same fast paced work, "This smart-ass punk is truly pushing his luck! Have you traced the location of this hacker yet!?"

"Well...yes sir...but..." Someone began.

"But what!?"

The worker flinched at the harsh reply.

"Its just...well...its a different location from the last one sir..." He replied, looking to Kaiba nervously, " We can't figure it out sir...but...everytime we locate his position...he seems to...well...shift...somewhere else, and we can't locate him until he tries hacking the system again."

"Idiots! Figure out a way to track his movements and find him! This has been a thorn in my side for far too long!" Kaiba shouted furious, before turning and leaving the room, a very icy chill left within the air.

"Niisan!" Mokuba called after his brother, following him out of the security room, slowing his pace as he came up beside him, "Niisan...is this hacker really getting better every time he attempts to infultrate the files?"

"Its nothing to worry about Mokuba. Once Hes found, hes going to pay for all the time of mine hes wasted." Kaiba replied, his voice still serious, but perhaps softened slightly just for his brother.

"But..." Mokuba paused for a moment, "...Hes causing you alot of stress..."

"That can hardly be helped Mokuba. my choices are to put up with a nasty headache, or loose confidential information to some nobody!" Seto replied harsher, and his pace quickened.

"Hey wait! Seto kun!" Mokuba quickly blurted out, though he stopped following, " What was with Yami when he left? Did you two fight about something? I know you don't get along...but..."

The older brother stopped in his tracks. He didn't answer, or even look around. It took atleast twenty seconds before he finally replied, "Clearly...his luck is reserved for dueling alone."

Without another word, he continued down the hall, leaving his brother standing there. After a few minutes of walking down pathways he knew all too well, he entered his room, making sure the door shut behind him. He stood there for sometime, his eyes wondering his room, though not focusing on anything in particular. Eventually, he ripped his shirt off, and headed towards the ensuite. As he entered, his own reflection greeted him in the mirror. Sometimes he wondered just why he even had one, since he rarely used it, but this time he stopped and stared, glaring at the eyes that returned the coldness, before he almost growled.

"What a discusting fool..." He whispered venomously, before breaking the gaze with his double-ganger, and headed towards the shower.

****

_*admits to not being able to resist making Seto take his shirt off atleast once...* ^^'....man, I can be sad sometimes...._

_Hope this was entertaining. BTW, I'm still kinda knew to some terms and stuff....could anyone tell me if Prideshipping is a pairing of two dominant characters like Yami and Seto? ....or if I'm totally off...could someone please correct me?_

_man.....I'm sorry Yami....don't know how well I got seto's personality...but none the less...that was harsh...I feel so mean..._

_please review._


	7. Chapter 7

_Yay! Another chapter done! This one took so long, not so much because of roadblocks this time....more as...everything just took its time to fall properly into place....meh...bet that made no sense...XP_

_BTW....to those who have submitted reviews, who I have not replied to, I want to thank each of you very much for them, I appreciate each and every one of them ^-^...and thanks again to those whom I did reply to, your all wonderful to! ^-^_

_wow...when I first started this fanfic, I never saw myself getting this far into the story...all I had in my head was the begining...the middle...and the end...absolutely nothing in between! XD _

_Hmm....I guess I should also thank the breaks at work, where much of my draft writing is done :P_

_anyway...I must have had sugar today, so I'll shut up now, hope you enjoy!_

_disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of its characters._

_Chapter 7:_

_It hurt._

_So very much._

_The angel's fists were badly bruised from smashing against the ice over and over again, in a futile attempt to reach the one caged within._

_His fingertips now bled along with the rest of his body, after trying to dig into the smooth, solid wall._

_Nothing._

_Nothing was working. All his attempts were useless. The sheild just would not shatter. There was not even the slighest scratch to show for the angel's efforts._

_His strength was gone. He wanted so badly to reach the frozen being, to free them..._

_...and to be saved..._

_Tears slipped from the ruby orbs, as the angel rested his blood smeared palms against the crystal, unphased by the bite of the cold tempurature, and hung his head sadly._

_'Please...just let me in...'_

_Swiftly, the ice seemed warm against the all too familar sound that echoed behind him. The menacing laugh of the shadow that had hunted him down once more, and darkness came crashing down like an icy wave over him._

****

"AAAAHHH!!!!!"

The freezing water struck the bare skin on Yami's back like needles, sending a shock the entire way along his spine, jolting him from his dreams, and letting him ungracefully crash back into reality.

With ice cubes still sitting in the middle of his back, Yami laid there panting, his brain catching up with his body, before glancing around, only to find Yugi standing there scowling at him, an empty red bucket held loosely in his hand.

"I gave you PLENTY of warning!" Yugi scolded, NOT sounding amused, " I knocked four times, called five times, stood in the doorway and threatened with the bucket twice, and then stood here and counted down from ten VERY loudly!"

Yami didn't look to him, his eyes lingering on the bucket.

"You've been mopeing at home for two days now! I went and told the teachers you were feeling ill, but I WON'T do it again today!"

Still Yami didn't answer.

"Look, I'm sorry Kaiba was such an ass to you, but are you seriously going to allow him to affect you like this!? Come on, even the teachers cower at the sight of him, but you just glare right back if he looks your way!"

_' ...I gave you this chance, because your the one person in that entire school that didn't flinch when I looked at you!'_

Yami's fingers clenched alittle.

"So get your sulky butt out of bed and get ready!" Yugi ordered, right before Yami finally looked to him, his eyes narrowed in an angry glare.

"Yugi...when I get out of this bed...you'll wish you'd just left me here sulking!"

"Oh threaten all you like. I'm heading to school early with Ryou and Malik. If I don't see you there before the bell, I'm telling the teachers your skipping class." Yugi muttered, waving the threat off, and strolled out the room.

Yami groaned as he attempted to get up and go after his hikari, but just slumped back down, his face making a crater in the pillow, so he settled for silently cursing morning people. How the heck did they manage to be so awake and alert before nine in the morning??

He knew he was acting childish. It wasn't like him to sulk, especially not over something someone else said or did to him.

"Come on Yami Motou. Its just Seto Kaiba. Theres plenty of guys way sexier out there." He mumbled, and pushed himself up onto his elbows, before frowning at his own words.

_'Sexier than Kaiba?...tsk, theres no such thing...' _He thought bitterly, and dragged himself out of bed.

****

Yami blinked alittle at the toast that was placed before him, before looking up to sugoroku.

"You've hardly eaten the last two days, I'm afraid your not leaving this house until you finish both slices." The old man ordered, but with a smile.

Yami returned a smaller one, and took a bite from his toast. His stomach growled in pleasure at the taste of food, trying to encourage his rather unwilling mouth to chew faster. Sugoroku sat down and read his paper for awhile, allowing Yami time to eat before he spoke once more.

"So what _is_ with all this mopeing about lately?"

Yami paused halfway through his second slice, and just stared down at the crumb covered plate. When he didn't answer, Sugoroku calmly folded his paper and placed in on the table.

"Yami, I know you were once a great pharoah ruling over all eygpt, etc. But for as long as I have known you, you've been like a brother to Yugi, and so, you have also been like a grandson to me."

Yami look up at him, the rubys widened alittle in suprise.

" I know you young people seem to think its cool or whatever to keep secrets and such, but, just know that if you need to talk, I'm not as deaf as I sometimes seem, and I'll listen."

Gratitude shone on the eygptian boy's face.

"Thankyou. You've always been kind to me, back when Yugi and I were one, and even after we..." Yami began, but fell silent, looking to the ground.

Suguroku just gave an understanding smile, before standing.

"Well, I better not be the one to make you late, otherwise I won't have any right to tell you off should the teachers call." He laughed lightly, " Just remember, when your ready to talk..."

Yami watched as he walked downstairs to open the game shop. He allowed himself a small sigh, before finishing his toast.

****

The day was perfect atleast. A beautiful blue sky with just a few pearl white clouds drifting through it's backdrop. The sun was lovely and warm, whilst the gentle breeze was just cool enough to stop the heat becoming too much.

Yami had to wonder how long it had been since he'd last walked to school on his own. Not that he minded in the least, it merely felt unusual. Perhaps it was for the better though, as he felt more like allowing his mind to drift, rather than having a conversation with anyone right now.

He was remembering when he and Yugi had first become seperate people. For a long time, they had shared one body, until at some point, it had seemed they were growing more apart. Yami had been hovering outside of Yugi's body in spirit more and more often. At first he hadn't really taken notice so much, not until one night, he had trouble returning to the sennen puzzle. What usually took a second, took almost five minutes to happen. The next day things had been fine again, and he'd remained outside the puzzle, casting the night off as a one time glitch. However, that night, after Yugi had fallen asleep, he was shocked to find he couldn't return to the puzzle at all! He tried for over an hour, getting more and more desperate, before exhaustion finally got to him, and he'd resolved to sleeping outside of the puzzle that night, he would speak to Yugi about it in the morning. However, when he had woken, both he and his hikari had recieved a massive shock, as Yami awoke to find he was still outside of the puzzle, but the body he was in was not that of Yugi's. It was his own, but it was no longer see through, nor weightless like a spirit....he was no longer JUST a spirit. His body was firm and heavy, just like his Hikari's. Though they could both still feel a very strong connection between the sennen puzzle, neither could enter its confines anymore. Yugi had weeped for hours in Yami's arms, and even the now former spirit had shed a few tears. Emotions had been very mixed up, neither wanted to be seperated from one another, but after some time, when they began to calm down, they'd slowly started to accept it. They could never figure out just why the seperation had occured, nor why it had happened to their friends either.

Two days later, when they had returned to school, They'd found that the very same thing had happened to Ryou and Bakura. The small shy boy had been clinging to his dark half's arm, looking like he would burst out crying any moment. Bakura had clearly been shocked and confused, but remained protectively close to Ryou.

Even Malik had shared their fate, and hadn't left the side of his dark half, their hands locked together...

Yami quickly shook his head. He was certainly not in the mood for thinking about _him_. Besides, now was hardly the time, he needed his focus for school. Kaiba had never missed even a single lesson, let alone a day, so there was no chance he could get out of seeing his face at some point today.

An annoyed groan left him before he'd felt it coming. True he didn't want to see kaiba, but he wasn't in the mood for being angry at him either, though a part of him wished that flame hadn't shrunk to embers.

Thankfully, something caught his attention then, something that, atleast for the moment, pushed Kaiba right out of his thoughts.

_'Oh what a most welcomed distraction.' _He thought, inwardly smirking.

****

"So Malik, where did you say you were writing about for your english assignment?" Ryou asked, looking away from the new book he'd just bought, as Yugi, Malik and himself left the store.

"Egypt. I mean, I know not all my memories from there are great, and I love it here now, but in a way, it will always be my home." Malik answered, "I'll just focus on what good times there were."

"Well thats only fair, its where you grew up." Yugi put in.

"Jou said hes going to write about the arcade." Ryou added with a chuckle.

"Yeah, he would do that..." Malik agreed, though he casually looked away.

"No, Hes probably just joking. I'm sure even he has somewhere more important in his life than the arcade." Yugi answered.

"You mean his favourite fast food outlet!?" Malik quickly jumped in, grinning widely.

All three boys burst into laughter.

_'Five seconds hikari!'_

Yugi almost choked, and stumbled abit, before his eyes widdened as he looked over his shoulder.

"Did you think I would let you get away with it just because you got out of the house before me!?" Yami yelled, charging like a furious bull right towards the smaller boy.

"Oh...Kami..." Yugi gasped, before he turned and ran the other way.

"Hey Yami!" Malik called cheerfully as Yami got close.

"Bye Yami." Ryou mumbled as he raced past.

After the two had disappeared around the corner...both yelling their heads off at each other...Ryou turned to Malik.

"Alright...what happened THIS time?"

Malik chuckled loudly.

"I'm going to venture a guess that Yami got a rather rude awakening this morning."

****

For once Yami wished class would hurry up and start, but only because he wanted it to end quicker.

"Hey, Yami?"

Said teen looked around to Malik, who was leaning against the table next to his, a concerned look now on his face.

"Something bothering you?" The soft voice asked.

_'Sure. It starts with a 'k', is tall, arrogant, has gorgeous silky brown hair, an alluring voice, beautiful though cold blue eyes, and....oh kami...this isn't helping...'_

"No, I'm fine Malik. Just...don't really want to be here."

"Well I figured that much, considering how _happy_ you were to see Yugi this morning." Malik snickered.

"By the way, Malik?" Yami quickly replied, wanting to change subjects, "...The other day at the carnival, what did you say to Jou and Honda to...you know, make them throw up?"

True he was using the question as a distraction, but he was honestly curious.

Malik's grin grew, giving Yami the impression that he'd been waiting for someone to ask. He quickly looked around to make sure no one was listening, before leaning close to whisper.

" I told them to imagine kissing Kaiba."

The boy's stiffened laughs missed Yami's ears, as the boy had to grip his desk to stop from falling out of his chair. Grateful that Malik was so busy trying not to laugh at his own joke, He quickly regained his balance and stared down at his desk, waiting for the redness in his face to leave.

If Malik _did_ notice this, then he didn't get time to ask about it, as the bell then rang, and the teacher walked in, forcing everyone to return to their designated seats.

Classes passed by normally, and though slightly depressed, Yami found he could focus pretty well on his work. But the whole time, he knew it wouldn't last, not when P.E was the fourth period of the day. Whilst in the change room, he kept his head down, not looking up or around, not until he had no choise out on the feild, where he finally saw the beautiful but oh so arrogant brunnette.

Seto Kaiba wasn't looking at him, but clearly not out of spite, his attention was just elsewhere. Still, a rather childish side of Yami wished he'd look around and meet his glare.

They were still practicing soccer, but this time it was different. This time, it was just soccer, there was no deeper rivalry between yami and seto than them being on opposite teams. If seto did look at him, it was the same as he would look at any of the other students.

It was NOT how he looked at Yami.

_'Where is it?'_

Yami kicked the ball in the direction of a team mate, knowing full well that it was close enough for the ceo to run in the way, and divert it. Yami quickly followed and stopped it before the other team could get control.

_'Why can't I see? Why won't you LET me see?'_

Yami aimed and kicked for a goal, but not succeeding as Kaiba once more got in the way, and kicked it far. Yami was instantly bolting down the feild, but his eyes were on Kaiba.

_'Where are you?'_

Kaiba closed in on him, and the two fought over the ball for a few seconds, before Yami broke free, and raced away with the ball, knowing Kaiba was on his heels.

_"Where is MY look??'_

He looked around. The sapphires showed no resemblance to the ones he knew all too well. Most trembled if Seto Kaiba even looked in their general direction, if he was to give them the look he usually gave his rival, they'd probably run of screaming like children, but now Yami craved to see that look, to have it aimed directly at him. He couldn't stand this common, blank look, nor this fake Kaiba.

_'Where is...MY Seto Kaiba!!?'_

_The embers burst back into flames._

He skidded around, gave the ball a powerful kick, and watched as it went flying back, right into the side of Kaiba's face.

****

The teacher's voice echoed somewhere around the change room, but Yami could barely hear what he was saying, something about 'bad sportsmanship' and 'detention after school', the rest was a blur.

After the teacher left, he got changed to get ready for lunch, his own stupid actions replaying over and over in his head.

_The ball slammed into Kaiba's head with enough force to make him stumble back, though most people probably would have been knocked off their feet._

_Yami stood there stunned by the realisation of what he'd just done. Kaiba's team mates started asking if he was alright, before yelling things like 'dirty' and 'unfair' at Yami. The teacher had blown the whistle, and gone to check on the ceo, whilst yami's own team had started shouting back to defend him, but he didn't care for whatever they were saying, words were unimportant right now, not when the sapphire orbs had finally turned to him. They were cold, angry, forboding._

_But they still weren't what he was looking for._

_...Not even embers survived this time..._

_'Mutou! get back here!' The teacher had yelled as he'd run off, not stopping until he reached the change rooms. He panted alittle, before walking into the bathroom where Kaiba usually changed. He rarely came into this one himself, so was alittle suprised by how small it was compared to the rest of the bathrooms in the school. He moved to one of the sinks and turned a tap on, cupped his hand under the stream of water, and splashed it on his face, over and over until he'd completely lost count. After that, he'd just stared at his dripping face in the mirror for some time, knowing that atleast one or two of the droplets were his own tears, mingled in somewhere with the plain water. He stayed like that until he heard the teacher's angry voice call his name, and returned grudgingly to the changeroom._

He let slip a growl of frustration, before grabbing his things, and turning to leave, just as the lunch bell rang. He left as fast as he could, not willing to put up with any comments from the other students right now. No doubt everyone in the school would know about this little incident by the end of lunch, so he descided to pick a private spot to spend his time, practically struggling to get himself to eat his sandwhich, his entire appetite was gone. His eyes were prickling, but he didn't let a single drop show, he just was not in the mood for crying. Not that it seemed to matter anymore, but this was no how Kaiba would want to see him. Weak, pathetic, frightened...

"There you are."

Rubys turned to meet chocolate.

"You like to make everyone worry about ya?" Jou asked casually, strolling up.

Yami lowered his sandwhich slowly, looking away. He was expecting a comment about what a good shot his kick had been or something. Instead, Jou said nothing, and just leant against the wall Yami was sitting against.

"Your not the type to let the whole world know your thoughts. I figure you don't want to talk." Jou spoke in a suprisingly serious tone, though it wasn't enough to make Yami look up, "So I'll do the talking. Just after we all got back into the changerooms, one guy went to the gent's room, and found Kaiba passed out on the floor."

Yami wasn't quick enough to stop his head shooting up.

"No ones sure what happened, but hes been taken to the med' room." Jou added, his eyes on Yami.

Items clattered on the ground noisily, and food splattered everywhere. Yami was up and running through the school without a look back at Jou, or anyone he passed along the way. He threatened his body not to dare trip or stop this time.

_'Not this time...'_

The medical room just typically had to be on the other side of the school! That didn't make Yami slow down though, not even when it became hard to breathe did he allow his body to rest. He crashed through the doors of the building, and continued down the hall until he caught sight of a bunch of students crouding outside a door.

Just the door he was after.

He stumbled to a stop, and hunched over, only now fully aware of his own exhaustion. He squinted, forcing himself to take deep, slow breathes, though his body was being horribly impacient for air. Eventually, he stood straight.

_'Note to self. All these spontainious moments of running at full speed until just before your lungs burst, can not be good for the body.'_

"Alright your lot! Off you go now! He'll be just fine IF he gets some rest!" A female voice ordered, and after a few seconds, a school nurse came out, and shooed the students away. She watched them go for a moment, before noticing Yami standing a few metres away.

"Young man, as I said, he needs to rest if hes to recover properly."

"Please..." Yami mumbled, the sudden desperation in his voice suprising both himself and the nurse, " I...Seto Kaiba...I need...to see him...please..."

"I'm sure your just as concerned as all the other students, but as I said..." The nurse began.

"Please! I'm..." Yami began, hesitating for a moment, as shame washed over him, " I'm the reason hes in there."

The nurse just looked at him in quiet suprise.

"My boy, if that were true, I'd have to kick myself for being impressed that just one person could do that."

"It only takes one person to kick a ball..." Yami muttered.

"Pardon?"

"I kicked a soccer ball into the side of his head during P.E." Yami answered, feeling just alittle frustration.

The nurse made a sound like she suddenly understood something.

"So thats what all of the students were talking about." She said lightly, and Yami looked up to see her giving a gentle smile, "Young man, you need not feel guilty. He has a large bruise next to his eye, but his collapse looks to me like nothing more than stress."

Time stopped for just a second as Yami registered that answer.

"...Stress...?"

"Yes dear. He regained conciousness just after he was brought here, and he showed very clear signs of stress, such as frustration and irritability."

_'That just sounds like normal Kaiba to me.' _Yami thought to himself.

"Unfortunately his blood pressure and heart beat were up alittle higher than they should be aswell, and he seemed teffibly fatigued." The nurse continued, looking back to the door, "He used the excuse that he'd been running around the feilds for P.E. , but I don't think thats the real reason. He was insistant on leaving, but I finally got him to see reason, though I don't suppose I'll be so lucky the next time he wakes up."

Yami listened silently, and glanced to the doorway. His heart trembled to think of seto laying in there. His mind was trying to play tricks on him, conjuring up images of seto injured or unconcious. At the same time, it just didn't make sense to think of him that way. The strong pillar of ice that was Seto Kaiba would never crumble.

_'Why not?'_

An image flashed through Yami's mind, too fast to grasp. Like a dream, he was distracted by suprise, and it slipped from his sight.

"Are you alright young man?"

"Huh? O-oh yeah, sorry, just, remembered something." Yami quickly answered the nurse, but looked back to the medical room.

_'Kaiba...why can't I let it go? Its only fair I wanted to be with you back then...but...that was nothing more than a crush, wasn't it? Even at the time I thought so, I knew one day I would look away from you. Eventually I did...or I...thought I did...have I been wrong this whole time? Did I merely teach myself to look away, and to not think of you?...whats the real illusion? That I like you?...or...that I only think I like you?'_

"Oh all right. You may have just a few minutes."

Yami snapped back out of his thoughts, and blinked stupidly at the nurse.

"Just a few minutes though, alright? And only because you genuinly seem to feel more than just mere curiousity or pity towards this." The nurse spoke to him.

Yami's whole body seemed to flutter along with his heart.

"R-really? Thankyou, thankyou greatly." He managed to breathe out.

The nurse gave a kind but amused smile.

"Just a few minutes." She reminded him, before leading the way into the medical room.

The moment he began to follow her, Yami began to panic again.

_'Is this really a good idea? What if hes awake and I'm the last person he wants to see? No....I must not start thinking that way! If I get hesitant, then Kaiba really won't want to see me.'_

_'Come on! You'll gladly step up to face me in any kind of fight without fear, and yet when its something like this, you can't even speak!'_

Those words really had hurt, but Yami had to admit that Kaiba had been right. He had seen him weak, and now he wouldn't even look at him the same way. If he could get nothing else, then he had to try and recover that little shred of respect the ceo once had for him.

_'If nothing else...' _He whispered, and glanced up.

The tall brunette was laying on the largest bed in the room, and yet it still didn't seem quite long enough for him. He was currently sleeping, his chest rising and sinking softly.

"You may sit by him for awhile, but don't wake him." The nurse instructed, before disappearing through another door towards the office.

Yami watched her go, before looking back to Kaiba, his heart drumming in his chest, but he ignored it, and sat by the bed. He just watched the beautiful teen silently, frowning alittle as he became aware of something, though inwardly he felt amused.

"Are they gone yet?" Came the very quietest whisper from lips that barely moved.

"Yes, they've left." Yami whispered back just as quiet, unable to help a small smirk.

Lids slid open to reveal those gorgeous sapphires.

" Kami damn it! I thought they'd never go away!" Kaiba groaned.

Yami managed to cover a laugh, but not well enough that seto didn't look around to him then.

"So you came to see me did you?" He spoke with his usual coldness, but not as harshly as Yami first feared.

"Well, I thought it was my fault you were here." Yami answered calmly, relieved that his usual strength was there in his voice.

"Tsk, don't flatter yourself. Like you could do anything to put me in here." Kaiba bit back, before suddenly looking away.

But Yami didn't miss the wince.

"Headache?" He asked casually.

"Migrane." Seto muttered, suprising the other boy that he would admit it.

"Hm. Well, weither or not you should, I don't suppose you want some medicine?" Yami asked, this time alittle hesitant, but he hid it well.

"That nurse already made me take some earlier. Its just taking its stupid time to kick in." Kaiba muttered, sitting up alittle.

Yami sighed deep but quiet.

"...Kaiba...weither or not it matters...I'm sorry."

"Don't say that!"

Yami was taken back abit by the growl, but Kaiba seemed to understand his confusion.

"Though I don't appreciate having a soccer ball aimed at my head, that was the most strength I've seen from you for days."

Yami wasn't sure how to reply to that.

"You forced me to look at you with whatever method you had to, a method no one else would dare try. Maybe you didn't intend to hit me in the head, but you _did _intend to hit me. After days of hiding, you finally showed me the only person I've ever deemed a worthy rival. Don't deny your actions, and don't you dare take it back!"

Yami tried not to show too much of his amazement at the words he was hearing, but it was hard. Sure, he'd known he and kaiba were rivals for a long time, but to actually hear the ceo say he considered him a 'worthy rival', it truly did feel like his heart was swelling, it was almost painful.

He let his courage feed off of that warmth.

"Then tell me, is it too late?" He asked, his tone strong.

Kaiba's strength rose to match his, and Yami's heart cheered to see _his _look shining in the sapphires.

"You tell me."

It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

kaiba was giving him another test.

_...another chance...._

Yami would accept this one, and hesitation was not an option this time. he wouldn't wait till it was too late like he had before. It was fair enough that he'd been afraid, anyone would have been. But none the less, it had been a chance he'd let slip past.

With a deep breath, his hand slipped into his pocket.

"Seto Kaiba, I..."

"I thought I told you not to wake him!"

No matter how nice the nurse was, Yami felt a vengeful desire to strangle her. He was suprised...though very much pleased...that Kaiba's own eyes narrowed in annoyance at the intrusion.

"Can I just..." Yami began, struggling to keep calm.

"No! I gave you a few minutes, now off you go! Lunch is just about finished anyway." The nurse ordered.

It was clear she wasn't going to move until he did. Furious, Yami stood, but he refused to let someone else steal away his chance again, and so practically glared around at Kaiba.

"This _isn't _over." He mouthed to him.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed slightly. He knew Yami didn't intend to give him a choice, and he didn't at all seem upset by that.

"Thanks for the time." Yami muttered to the nurse, and left the room before he changed his mind about not hurting her.

****

By the time he'd gotten back to his belongings and packed them up, lunch was over, and he had to quickly walk to his next class. None of the afternoon lessons wanted to end! Yami had never felt so very impacient in his life! Not even when Kaiba had been in his english class to watch that ridiculous movie!

As the final bell rang, he glared at the clock as if to say 'finally!!' and quickly left the class. He practically marched outside, and stood...rather thoughtlessly...in the middle of the pathway, not caring for the people trying to get around him, as he looked around at the students leaving. Brown hair here...blue eyes there....but no match anywhere.

_'Where are you damn it!?'_

"Yami?"

He turned abit sharper than he meant to at the distraction, making poor malik flinch back.

"Uh-h...sorry? Am I...interupting something?" The violet eyed boy asked.

Yami quickly calmed down.

"No...sorry malik, I didn't mean to act...aggressive at you." He apologised.

"Oh, no problem." Malik quickly recovered, "Just wanted to ask if you'd like to go see a movie? Or maybe visit the arcade?"

Yami smiled, despite the nasty stab of guilt in his chest.

"That sounds really appealing right now Malik. I would actually love to..."

"But...?" Malik said with a blink.

"But...theres something I need to do.....I have to do it...and now...or..." Yami trailed off, not wanting to think about it. There would definately be no more chances after this, the fact that he'd gotten a second chance was still unbelievable.

"Yami? is everything alright?"

"Yes, I'll be fine, thankyou Malik." Yami mumbled, glancing around for a distraction, and was thankful when he found one, "What are those girls doing over there??"

"Oh, I think that's Kaiba's fanclub..." Malik answered, rolling his eyes, "They're all waiting for him to come out so they can ask aaaalll about it."

A quiet snort and a badly suppressed grin caught yami's attention.

" Poor girls don't even notice that his limo isn't around this side."

Yami looked around swiftly. Indeed Kaiba's usual black shiny limo was no where in sight.

_'How did 'I' not notice that?!?'_

"Gotta admit, the guy is a good thinker..." Malik spoke, catching Yami's attention again, " I saw his limo around the other side of the school. Most students come out this exit, so he'll have hardly any people to bother him around there."

The sandy haired boy almost stumbled over as his friend raced past him, and turned to watch him go.

"Well...it seems I either said something really good, or really bad." He mumbled, blinking rapidly, "Hope its nothing I regret later..."

****

_'Damn it Kaiba!'_

Yami really was tired of running so much lately, but yet again he couldn't stop.

_'Avoiding the fans!? Tsk! Whatever! Make up all the lies you want Kaiba! I know what your really avoiding! But I won't allow you to take back the chance you gave me! If I mess it up, then fine! You have every right to walk away! Even if I get it perfect, you still have the right to leave! But not before I get MY say!! Don't YOU take it back!!'_

There was the fence...there was the limo....and there...he was....

"KAIBA!!"

Yami was short of breath, but his voice echoed through the area. The driver who had opened the back door for his boss looked around in suprise, and a security guard actually raised a gun. And yet, the ceo himself didn't react, like he'd heard nothing.

"SETO KAIBA!!" Yami cried again.

The man with the gun looked to kaiba with a strange expression, almost like he'd been spoken to, before slowly lowering his gun, though glared at yami under his glasses. Panic and rage set in as Kaiba got into the car. Grunting in pain, he hurdled over the fence, pushed pass the guard, and jammed his bandaged hand between the door, and pushed it back open, his teeth gritted from rage and the pain shooting through his hand, which wasn't protected enough to completely avoid the jolt.

"DON'T IGNORE ME KAIBA!!!"

Though those few words rang around the entire street, they left a nasty silence behind them, as Yami glared dangerously at the ceo, who wasted no time in returning it.

"Little punk!" The guard suddenly broke in, and grabbed Yami's shoulder.

"Stand down!!"

The guard looked to Kaiba in confusion. The ceo hadn't even broken his gaze with Yami.

"B-b-but sir..."

"You heard me!"

The order was enough to make the guard shake, and he obeyed, letting go of Yami, who now understood clearly, that he himself feared that tone, but, he wasn't afraid to stand up to it, because no matter how cruel it was, it still belonged to kaiba.

_'I'll take anything you throw at me Kaiba, and I'll return the favor. If I can't get what I want, then I'll happily take what I have. I'll walk away content, perhaps heartbroken, but content none the less.'_

Kaiba was watching him silently, like he knew Yami wasn't stalling this time, that he was just out of breath. Both knew that no explanation was needed for either one's actions. Yami allowed himself time to regain just alittle of his breath, before his hand dove into his pocket, and pulled out the silver chain, the blue gem shining brightly in the light, as it was held out to the boy with the matching blue eyes.

"Seto kaiba, I would like to give you this necklace. I found it in the store the other day, and though I wasn't sure at the time, I bought it because I felt it would suit you well. I know it probably holds no interest for you, but I would really like you to have it. Would you please take it?"

And it was done.

Like a test, it had caused him so much anxiety, but was so very suddenly over. He'd done all that he could. Now, all that was left, was the painful wait to see the results.

Kaiba left him waiting, though weither it was purpose or not was hard to tell. The sapphires didn't leave the necklace for sometime, as if the ceo was truly thinking carefully about his answer. Finally, he glanced back to the waiting boy, but only for a second, before quickly looking away.

"No."

Yami's heart dropped, like a ravine had just opened up under it. He'd not allowed himself to get his hopes up, he'd known this would be the most likely answer.

_'Still..is it bad...to hope?...to wish?'_

"Unless."

Kaiba's voice seemed sort of distant, but that one word made Yami look back up. He hadn't even realised his gaze had fallen.

"Unless, your ready to cancel every other plan you have for this afternoon." Kaiba finished, looking at him firmly.

A lifeline.

A lifeline had been cast down to his fallen heart, now it was just up to him to reach up and grasp it!

" I have...no prior arrangements today..." Yami spoke with what calm he could muster.

"Then get in." Kaiba finished, and took the necklace swiftly from him.

He'd practically snatched it. But yami didn't care one little bit.

He'd taken it!

He bit his lip abit to keep back a smile...for the time anyway...and slid into the limo as Kaiba shifted over to let him in. The door closed behind him, and a moment later, the car was moving. He allowed himself to glance around, and finally managed to relax, as his heart warmed at the sight of Kaiba carefully placing the thin silver chain around his neck.

It looked truly beautiful on him.

Rubys gently closed in grateful contentment.

_'Thankyou.'_

****

_Something seemed to move under the angel's hands, just the smallest of movements, but enough to make the sad creature look up from it's state of despair._

_Carefully pulling his hand's back, he looked over his palms._

_They were wet, just alittle, but wet none the less. He looked back to the icy prison, and found the very smallest of dents where his hands had been._

_Where they had melted it._

_The cold was painful on his already damaged hands. But, if it was what worked..._

_Inhaling deeply, the angel placed his palms back in the same spots, and focused on the being within the ice._

_'I will free you. Please wait for me, I WILL free you.'_

****

_I can't think how the japanese school timetable works, so I'm using the one I had back in high school._

_I hope that made it up alittle for how mean seto was to yami last chapter. Wanted to get abit further before I ended this chapter, but then I saw how long it already was.....so atleast I know where I'm starting the next chapter! ^-^_

_Really hope this was fun to read._

_reviews will be loved! *puppy eyes*_


	8. Chapter 8

_*grins sheepishly* I admit...I was too confident at the end of the last chapter......I thought I'd be able to do this one just fine...but it was very difficult...._

_I want to thank everyone who posted such wonderful reviews for the last chapter...and I hope so badly that this chapter will live up to be worth those lovely words...._

_if not.....I'll be apologising more than ritsu from fruits basket! (hopefully without going quite so mad)_

_I also have to apologise for the length of this one....just like chapter 4, I was worried it wouldn't be long enough....and somehow, I ended up making it too long....but I didn't want to cut it halfway through...so please bare with the length..._

_Other than that, I really hope you all enjoy this chapter! ^^_

_disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of its characters._

_Chapter 8:_

One sharp ruby opened as something disturbed the silence that hadn't neccessarily been peaceful, but was not forboding either.

"Are you going to answer that or not!?"

Yami blinked around at Seto, wondering just how long they'd been driving. Had he fallen asleep? He couldn't think how long he'd had his eyes closed.

A loud ring right beside him brought understanding to the impatient look on the ceo's face.

"Answer it or turn it off!" Kaiba ordered.

Yami quickly reached into his pocket, and pulled out his phone.

"Hello?"

"WHERE IN KAMI'S NAME ARE YOU!?"

Yami yanked the phone away from his ear as Yugi's voice screamed through it, his teeth gritted alittle in pain.

_'Just great. How do I explain THIS one?'_

"Yugi. Uhh...sorry, I had something to do this afternoon." He finally answered when it seemed safe to move the phone close to his ear again.

"Yeah, its called detention! The P.E. teacher is biting OUR heads off because you've run off without saying a word, and he thinks we're covering for you and won't believe us when we say we don't have a clue where you went!!"

_'...oops...'_

'Kuso...' Yami swore under his breath.

He'd completely forgotten about that.

"I'm sorry aibou..." Yami began, but quickly glanced to Kaiba, who was staring ahead, but no doubt listening, "...Tell him something came up, and I'll stay for detention twice as long tommorrow."

"Before I do anything of the sort, how about you tell me where you are first!?" Came the harsh reply.

There was absolutely no way THAT was going to happen!

"Yugi, I'm sorry you all got in trouble for my actions. I'll make it up to you as soon as I can, but I need to go now, so I'll talk to you later." Yami replied calmly.

"What do you mean!?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine, so theres no need to be anxious..." Yami began.

"What are you talking about!? All you've done lately is give reason to be anxious!! And stop avoiding my question! Tell me where the hell you are!! If you don't...."

Yami casually pulled the phone away from his ear again, and rested his head back against the seat, looking like he found the scolding no more threatening than an annoying, boring lecture.

"Don't you dare ignore me! Put that phone back on your ear! You deserve to loose an eardrum!!" Yugi shouted, almost making Yami smirk. He wasn't at all suprised that his hikari had known.

"I already have a headache today if you don't mind." Kaiba suddenly muttered, quiet enough that Yugi wouldn't hear, but plenty loud enough for Yami to get the message.

Yami didn't dare ignore the warning tone, and placed the phone back on his ear.

"I'll be home later Hikari. Speak to you then."

"Yami don't you dare...!!"

_'snap!'_

Yami had shut the phone before yugi could protest further, and made sure it was turned off before he shoved it into his bag.

_'Full permission to kill me later Hikari, but your not interupting again. Not right now.'_

" Since when does a pharoah need a baby sitter?" Kaiba questioned.

"Hes self appointed..." Yami groaned back, rubbing his temples alittle, " I'm beginning to think he doesn't plan to allow me to do anything without his permission anymore..."

" Hmph. Hasn't it always been you watching out for him?" Kaiba mocked as he looked ahead.

Yami was unphased by the taunt, and he knew Kaiba hadn't expected him to be. It was just how they always spoke.

...It suddenly didn't seem all that terrifying to be alone with him anymore....

****

What remained of the trip once more sat within a not so uncomfortable silence. Unsure of weither or not he should have tried to talk, Yami was more than content to neither hear nor say a word whilst he sat mere inches from the ceo.

This was enough for now.

To be sitting by the one person he was certain he felt something real for...to be in some way...accepted by that person...even just alittle...

_'Its enough. For now, this is all I want.'_

Even as the limo pulled up outside Kaiba corp, neither of the proud duelists broke the silence, as if that itself was a challenge that neither side was willing to back down from.

It was only as they stepped through the familiar large doors, that words rang through the air.

"Welcome home niisan!! Huh?? Hey! Yami! Welcome!" Mokuba greeted them in that happy voice he was known for, "Whats up? Here to challenge my big brother again?"

"Good to see you again Mokuba." Yami stuck with saying, hoping to avoid the question without the boy noticing.

"By the way, how did it go last time?? You never said who won. Were you alright when you left Yami?" Mokuba continued.

"Mokuba. Greeting a guest is one thing, but hes here to resolve an unsettled matter, not to distract you from your homework." Seto interrupted as he pulled his shirt collar straight.

Yami glanced to him in mild suprise. He got the feeling Kaiba was purposely distracting his younger brother.

"Daijoubu niisan! Its all done and completed!" Mokuba replied, playfully saluting his brother.

"Very well, then here..." Seto answered, and held his hand out expectantly, "I'll review your answers for you."

"Na, thanks Niisan, but I'm certain I nailed it this time." Mokuba answered confidently, clenching his fist like in victory.

"Oh? Now I'm even more interested in reading your answers." Kaiba retorted quickly.

Yami was tempted to smirk, but didn't dare do so. Seto was no fool, and Mokuba's pause was just long enough to show he'd been very suddenly cornered by his brother's words. He must have expected the first reply, but not the second one.

"I'll show you once the teacher has marked it." He finally answered, the majority of his confidence gone.

_'Oh mokuba...that was a terrible effort. If it had been a move in a duel, I'd hope you were just setting up for a very strategic trap.'_

"Mokuba, I did all the same work when I was your age. I hardly need little red ticks and crosses to tell how you did." Seto replied, giving Yami the impression of a duelist making it clear to their opponent that they were about to win.

This time, Mokuba was out of come backs.

_'Game, set, match to Seto.' _Yami had to look down this time, as that pesky smirk slithered onto his face.

"Get your school work and be in the library in five minutes!" Kaiba ordered, ending the strange little game.

Mokuba's head dropped in defeat, and he ran off to do as he'd been told. Yami didn't usually feel such a strong urge to laugh, but this time had to bite his lip to stop himself.

That had to be the most hilarious conversation he'd ever witnessed!

"Whats amusing pharoah!?"

The smirk was more than eager to obey his will this time, and quickly slipped away from the cold tone.

"Nothing at all Kaiba." He answered calmly, meeting the ceo's gaze.

Whilst Kaiba obviously didn't believe him, he seemed content with that answer, and spoke to the butler briefly, before he continued on down the hall, Yami following a few seconds later.

****

It felt kind of silly that he'd been here so much, and yet had hardly seen any of the building.

Kaiba"s mansion really was as big and beautiful on the inside as it was outside. It still managed to awe him, which is why Yami was so suprised that Kaiba's private library was so modest in comparision.

The room itself was smaller than any he'd seen so far, though still plenty big enough to be comfortable. Again the ceiling was white, and the walls a pale shade of blue, but instead of expensive carpet like elsewhere, the floor was a lovely dark polished wood. The wall opposite the door had a large window, whilst the others were lined with bookshelves, of which only one had a gap lacking books to fill it. On the right wall, the shelves were split by a wide gap, in which sat a large flat screen tv. In the middle of the room was a small, round polished wooden table, a few shades lighter than the floor. Surrounding the table on three sides was a dark blue couch, the same shade as the curtains on both ends of the window.

Though more subtle, Yami had to secretly admit that from what he'd seen so far, this was his favourite room, but the reason for them being in the room suprised him even more. He watched from the doorway as Seto sat down on the couch on the side facing the tv, opened his bag, and pulled out his school work.

_'I guess I shouldn't act so suprised. Even Kaiba has to do homework at some point. He didn't rank first in most of his classes by letting it gather dust on his desk. Still, how does he fit all the work we get around his job?'_

He moved closer himself, and sat on the side of the couch facing the window. Kaiba didn't even glance up from where he'd begun writing. With a swift glance, Yami recognised the science text book sitting open on the table before the ceo, and so grabbed his maths homework instead, just as mokuba entered the room, and took his place opposite Yami, his back to the window.

After the initial awequardness, time became a lost element, as all three occupants kept their focus on their own work, the atmosphere calm and relaxing. Only the quiet sound of writing, and an occasional grumble of frustration from Mokuba caused any sort of weak retaliation against the tranquility.

"Enter." Kaiba spoke as a knock made all three occupants look up.

Yami recognised the butler as he walked in.

"Dinner is prepared sir."

"Very well." Kaiba answered shortly, closing his book in a way like he'd had enough of it.

_'The feelings mutual' _Yami thought as he stretched, before gladly packing away the english assignment he'd kept going back to, but was still getting no where with.

_' This damn assignment is more trouble than I thought. Yugi would have a feild day saying 'I told you so' if I was to say it out loud.'_

"Finally! I'm starving!" Mokuba cheered, sounding the most relieved of all three of them.

Yami followed the brothers out of the room and down the hall, mildly suprised that they didn't go back to the same dining room as last time. Instead, they entered a larger more elegant room, where Kaiba again sat at the head of a huge table, Mokuba in the seat at his left side, and Yami dared to get closer, choosing the seat second to the right of the ceo.

He watched as the altered reenactment played before him. Firstly was a plate of appetizers, and Yami imagined his jaw dropping like on those cartoons he'd seen Yugi watching, as he didn't recognise any of the tiny morsels from last time. How was there so many different kinds?

Mokuba clearly had no problem, as he was already grabbing the ones he liked best, slowing down only when seto gave him a disapproving look.

_'I'm sorry for feeling this way Mokuba, but I'm not sure if your presence makes this situation more or less awequard.' _Yami sighed mentally, before turning to his own plate.

Remembering Kaiba's words from last time, he only ate the ones that seemed most appealing to him.

The entree was again soup, but this time, a thick, rich tomato soup that Yami found divine. Mokuba seemed less keen on it, whilst Seto was as neutral as ever. Yami would have liked to finish it, but forced himself to leave some. He hated feeling bloated, and that was how he'd felt after dinner the last time he was here.

The main was a delicious looking peice of fillet steak with diane sauce, and golden roast potatoes. Mokuba finally had no choice but to slow down in his eating, though that didn't stop him from trying to see if he could fit a massive peice of potato in his mouth in one go. Yami was glad to see Kaiba finished his meat this time, though not at all suprised that only one of the potatoes disappeared. He himself, on the other hand, only left one potato on his plate.

Just like last time, Kaiba had yet to finish one dish, but Yami was just alittle eager to see how he acted with dessert this time.

It was tempting to let his eyes light up like Mokuba's, as placed before them was a pastry filled with thick custard, sprinkled with sliced almonds and a drizzle of chocolate.

He descided to allow himself a content smile.

Mokuba clearly didn't intend to let even his brother's scolding eyes stop him from digging in this time. Well, digging into such an appetising dessert was certainly appealing, but Yami was more than happy to take his time and savour it. The taste was definately worth the patience, but after just a few minutes, he heard cutlery go down on a plate. He automatically looked up to Mokuba, almost grinning at the boy's speed.

Except Mokuba still had a third of his to go, and clearly had no intentions of letting it go to waste. His gaze shifted...carefully...to the ceo, who was pushing his plate away, only half...maybe not even quite that...of the delicious pastry eaten.

_'He didn't finish it this time?' _Yami thought, feeling just alittle disappointed, _'Hm, well, I suppose it was just alittle too unbelievable for Kaiba to have a sweet tooth.'_

"Mokuba, did you finish your work?" Kaiba asked calmly after his brother had finished eating.

"I've just got a few last math problems Niisan." Mokuba answered honestly this time.

"Hm, good. Go get them finished, then bring your work to me." Seto replied.

Yami almost stared at the ceo. Though his voice had been firm, it was by no means harsh. For Kaiba, it could almost be considered kind.

He ate the last of his pastry, watching as Mokuba left the room, the chink of his fork touching the plate echoed alittle in the quite room.

_'Alright Yami Mutou...you got what you wanted...to be alone with Seto Kaiba...don't start complaining now just because your stomach feels alittle nauceous!'_

"What was making you sweat so much earlier in the library?"

Yami praised whatever god was listening that, suprisingly, Kaiba broke the silence first.

"Hm? Oh, just that assignment for english class." He answered calmly.

He looked up as Kaiba let out a large 'tsk!'. The annoyed look on the brunette's face obviously meant he found the assignment just as troublesome. Yami allowed his smirk to return, and just looked down to the table. He wouldn't dare say it out loud, but it was nice to know alteast one peice of homework would cause the ceo trouble like everyone else.

"Out of curiousity Kaiba..." He began, giving the other boy a moment to turn his attention, " ...if your rich enough to afford any school you want, why did you pick a normal public school like ours?"

Seto's scowl looked like he'd been reminded of something actually disgusting.

"Is it a neccessity to enter a highly esteemed private school just because one has the money to afford it?" He bit back colder than yami expected, though not enough to make him flinch.

None the less, he turned to face Kaiba properly, as the topic seemed more serious that he'd originally believed.

"Its no neccessity at all Kaiba." He answered calmly.

"I suppose you like everyone else believes I should don't you!?" Kaiba retorted angrily, and this time Yami did flinch, " You don't get why I would choose a descent public school over a so called prestigeous, high class school!?"

Kaiba's temper could be truly frightening, but Yami only allowed himself a moment to be afraid.

_'Don't back down...just tred carefully...'_

"I meant no offense when I asked Kaiba..." He kept his voice calm and steady, not backing off, but not charging foward either, "...I hear others asking each other the same question about you at school. Now that I think about it, it annoys the hell out of me...but...I have to be honest and say I'm curious aswell. However..." His head wanted to drop, but instead he made himself meet Kaiba's gaze and hold it, "...Its your descision of wheither or not to answer me. Either way, I'll take it like a move in a duel...nothing personal, for thats all my question was."

Kaiba was silent for awhile. Sheilds had been raised, and it was clear something prohibited had been unknowingly approached, but Yami could see the anger dying down in the sapphires, before they closed as the ceo rested his head in his palm.

"I tried going to one of those private schools for awhile, but the people there are even more annoying that those at our school."

Rubys locked to the ceo. He had never heard Kaiba speak so...softly...sure he sounded annoyed, but also...well...tired...

" I can ignore the squealing girls and the glares from the guys in sport, but there...people would stare for no reason at all. I didn't care, but none the less...it got tiring after sometime...."

Yami rested his arms on the table, but remained silent.

"Look, the bottom line is, I find private schools more of a hassle than their worth." Kaiba finished.

"Well, I guess since none of us have obviously been, then its not fair for myself and the other students to judge." Yami sighed, and looked to the table.

"I thought it was just a move in a duel...?" Kaiba muttered, but Yami glanced up in suprise.

_'Was he...did he just??....try to...tease me?? Thats it...I'm getting far too carried away...that will NEVER happen! He's only acting like normal.'_

Next to running until his body almost broke, Yami was getting very tired of the knocks that always interupted moments he'd rather be left to continue.

"Pardon the interruption sir." The butler spoke, standing in the doorway, a few small funny looking boxes in his arm, " These were brought to the doorway by...uhh...your schoolmates...."

The butler's hesitation made it obvious that this wasn't the first time this had happened. Yami knew what he meant by school mates.

He watched as the various boxes of chocolates were placed on the table, before the butler excused himself and left. The scowl of disgust on Seto's face threatened to make Yami laugh, but at the same time, he could share Seto's repulsion to the sweets.

_'I'm sure even Kaiba doesn't mean to be ungrateful...but this really does get old after awhile...'_

"Then again...I'm sure girls at private schools don't go wasting their time and money on treats of which atleast half won't get eaten..." He said lightly.

"Not at all..." Kaiba muttered, shuffling the boxes around, "...They just turn up at your door step thinking they have every right to see you when and where they want."

Yami raised his eyebrows, making his thoughts of 'they actually do that??' perfectly clear.

"Hpmh, help yourself." Kaiba groaned, and pushed most of the boxes away, keeping just one by him.

"I've had my fair share." Yami retorted, looking over the boxes with indifference.

Well it was true...he'd had chocolates dropped off at his house before. Oh the lies he had to tell to avoid actually seeing his pack of fans...he still owed Yugi for covering for him...

He glanced up alittle as Kaiba suddenly stood, walked over to a table by the wall, and opened a small but rather pretty dark blue box, with black edging and silver and gold patterns all through the blue. He ripped open the treats and dumped them in the box, but then took a few back out, before he turned and threw one to Yami, who caught it easily, but stared in puzzlement at the tiny parcel wrapped in pretty golden wrapping.

"cheers." Kaiba spoke gruffly, before chucking one of the already unwrapped peices in his mouth.

Yami frowned at the wasted chocolate on the table, but shrugged it off, and unwrapped the one peice in his hand. He bit into it, and allowed a calm smile as his mouth was filled with the smooth taste of....

...Yami glanced to the chocolate in his hand, before looking around to Kaiba, a thought clicking in his head...

"Are you content sitting there?" Kaiba suddenly asked, standing in the doorway.

Yami didn't miss the fact it was a trick question, and quickly shoved the other half of the chocolate in his mouth, then stood up quickly, and followed him to the doorway.

" I think I'll allow you to lead just for the time being, Kaiba." He replied cooly, folding his arms over his chest.

There was a short pause as both boys just looked to each other, before rivals granted each other an amused, competitive smirk, both of which faded as soon as they left the room.

****

_'Ok, studying was one thing, but this...?'_

Yami wasn't the least bit suprised that Kaiba had his own gym.

What suprised him was that he would actually be brought here.

He looked up as the brunette came back out of the bathroom, where he'd changed into long, loose black pants, and a tighter black singlet.

_'Kaiba thats just evil!' _Yami growled in his mind, looking away from the ceo as he walked past to enter the bathroom, "Kuso...are you trying to torture me on purpose...!?" He muttered quietly after he'd closed the door.

He'd been worried he'd have no choice but to change into his already dirty, smelly P.E. clothes, so had been very suprised when he found clean garments left for him to wear on a bench in the bathroom. The pants were also long and black, alittle baggy, but that couldn't be helped if they belonged to the tall ceo. The white singlet was also alittle loose, but comfortable.

It wasn't until he glanced over his image in the mirror, that he felt a stab of fear.

_'Wait...I have to go out there, dressed like this, infront of seto???'_

The white singlet showed off his lean but strong arms, aswell as part of his chest, But he might not have even bothered with that, as the white material was partially see through, and to his slight horror, he realised that although the legs of the pants were baggy, the top hugged his hips just enough to concern him.

_'Ok ok...calm down, its no big deal. You've worn white singlets in P.E. infront of him before, and the pants...well, come on, like Kaiba will be looking there!'_

The possibility of Kaiba actually doing so tried to taunt him, but he shook his head swiftly and walked back out into the gym, where Kaiba had already begun working out, doing pull ups on the bars, and pretty good pull ups if Yami did say so.

_'Should he really be doing that after P.E. today?' _He thought concerned, but just went over to the tredmill and set it to a light speed to begin with. He may not have been a fan of running, but a short, light jog was fine.

This truly was turning out to be a strange evening. Just the thought of where he was and what he was doing felt so absert to Yami. None the less, he never found that his adrenaline levels got above slightly nervous, though the price to pay for that calm, was confusion.

Why couldn't his heart make up its mind? One moment he was terrified to be near Kaiba, the next he was happy to be so close.

They spend about twenty minutes rotating between excercises, before Mokuba once more appeared, school books in hand. Yami stood back, stretching to cool down, glancing up here and there, as Kaiba sat on one of the excercise machines, checking his little brother's answers. Minus a few tiny frowns here and there that must have indicated a wrong answer, Seto didn't look disappointed, and finally nodded, handing his brother's work back to him.

"Good Mokuba."

"Thanks niisan." Mokuba answered, smiling proudly that his brother had said he'd done well, "...ano..." He suddenly mumbled.

Yami glanced up alittle. He'd felt oblidged to look away at that moment, but darn curiousity reacted before his common sense did.

"I'm not telling you the correct answers Mokuba." Seto answered knowingly with an amused smirk.

"Niisan...could you atleast tell me which ones I got wrong...??" Mokuba whined alittle.

"Its not my place to mark your work Mokuba. When your teacher marks them tommorrow, then I'll go through them with you." Kaiba answered in that tone Yami was begining to recognise as one he used for his little brother. Calm but firm.

Mokuba tried to protest...but quickly gave up as Seto stood and walked to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. A few seconds later, a shower could be heard running.

"Does he always act that way?" Yami said, turning to Mokuba.

"Hes always been firm, but hes only been this bad recently." Mokuba mumbled frowning at the bathroom door. "...I uhh...didn't do so well on my last report card, and since he saw it, hes been pushing me harder."

Yami's look turned sympathetic as the boy gazed down sadly.

"I know hes my big brother, and that hes the best in his class, and the president of an entire company...but I'm not him! I can't do that well!"

Yami gasped slightly at the boys slight outburst, and almost felt his heart wrench as tears sat on the edge of the large, grey eyes.

"Mokuba, listen. I'm certain your brother would never expect you to follow in his steps." He spoke quietly, touching the boy's shoulder.

"Then why does he push me so hard!?" Mokuba yelled, looking to him, and this time, Yami's heart did wrench inside his chest, but he hid it.

"Mokuba, he doesn't want you to be the best in your class, only the best you can be." He answered still calmly, "You know better than anyone that hes always tried to give you the best life possible. If now that means pushing you alittle to ensure you get grades high enough to give you a choice in your career one day, then he'll do it. But that doesn't mean he expects you to do as well as he does, just aswell as _you_ can."

"A...choice...?" Came the quiet mumble.

"Yes. Even though your first in line to inherit the company, I know your brother would never force you to take over if you didn't want to." Yami answered, knowing he could say that with confidence.

The small boy stared up at Yami, his eyes wide, before he quietly wipped the tears away, blushing ever so slightly.

"Yeah, I know. I really do. Hes the best big brother ever. I don't care what anyone else thinks!" He replied proudly.

Yami just smiled, glad that the small boy had calmed down. His eyes drifted to the bathroom door, and his smile faded alittle.

_'I never really thought about it Kaiba. You've had to be a parent aswell as a older brother to Mokuba. Everyone knows how much you care for him, so I'm sure you didn't mind it for a minute. However...how hard must it have been? If he misbehaved...you couldn't just be the big brother that comforted him after he was scolded...you first had to be the parent that did the scolding. And now, you have to be the adult thats firm on him if he slacks in his school work, whereas you should be playfully teasing him, or giving him the answers when no one is looking. You may have managed to take over Kaiba corp. at a young age...but I doubt that the extra money really made it any easier to play a role that shouldn't have been given to you...did it kaiba?'_

"hey! Quick! while hes still washing himself..." Mokuba suddenly broke in.

_'Damn it Mokuba! do you have to put it so bluntly!?' _Yami thought, almost stumbling at the unexpected comment.

"Hm?" He quickly acknowledged, turning to the small boy, who was grabbing something out of his school bag. He finally pulled out a cassette tape, and ran over to a stereo that Yami had spared a small glance at earlier.

"Just while we have a chance..." Mokuba spoke, sounding like a child that was about to do something they knew they shouldn't, but was too tempted by the call of fun. Either that, or he just didn't try to resist.

_'Mokuba...what are you up to?' Yami thought warily, listening as Mokuba clicked the play button, and adjusted the volume._

The song was slow to begin with, and that was quickly explained by the lack of music. Instead, there was only a person singing.

He prayed Mokuba wasn't looking at him, because his heart melted inside his chest.

It was beautiful.

Both the song and the voice.

He carefully sat down, his eyes on the stereo. He felt Mokuba sit close by, but couldn't look away from where the breathtaking song was coming from. Mokuba chuckled quietly, probably at Yami's slightly messmerised look, but sat quietly with him for a awhile, as the song continued to play.

When it finished, Yami heard and felt himself release a very deep sigh. Had he even been breathing during the song??

"Its a shame, but as you see, Niisan doesn't like me playing this cassette outside my room anymore..." Mokuba spoke as another, just as lovely song began.

That comment was enough to make Yami give him a puzzled look.

"Why not?"

Why would anyone want to deny others being able to listen to such a beautiful peice of music??

"Oh? You can't tell?" Mokuba looked around to him in suprise from where he was now laying on his back, " It because..."

A small click silenced the music in an instant, and Yami and Mokuba exchanged the same paniced look. It didn't take much imagination to guess what had happened, Though Yami was alittle more willing to look around back to the stereo, where Seto was standing, now dressed in a nice pair of casual black pants, and a long sleeved white shirt that had a few buttons undone. His hair was still dripping alittle, as he removed the cassette from the player.

"Mokuba..."

_'Whoa...I have to hope he never uses that tone on me for any reason...' _Yami thought as a small chill shot up his spine.

"I'm sorry Niisan! I-I just..." Mokuba sounded paniced, jumping up and darting towards his brother.

Yami couldn't get it. Mokuba's eyes were locked to his cassette tape, like he feared his brother wouldn't give it back. For a moment, it seemed like he wouldn't, and against his better judgement, Yami almost intervened, but finally, Seto held it back out, and the raven haired boy quickly took it, holding it close.

As the smaller boy wasn't looking, the ceo's gaze swiftly turned to Yami, who looked startled for just a moment, before narrowing his eyes sharply, demanding to know what he'd done wrong? To know what the sapphires were accusing him of?

The cold blue eyes narrowed in return alittle, before suddenly relaxing abit, and rubys followed suit. Kaiba must have believed him that he didn't know anything about....whatever was going on between him and his brother. He gave a small nod at something behind Yami, who glanced over his shoulder, before looking back to Kaiba to show he understood, and turned, walking to the bathroom. He closed the door, watching as he did so just to be certain it was closed, before he stripped down, and got in the shower. The hot water felt amazing on his body, atleast for now washing away any tension.

_'Am I really doing this? Spending time with Seto Kaiba? Without there being a duel tournament or something? And did he send me in here just to clean up? Or to get some privacy?'_

He sighed heavily, and rubbed some shampoo through his hair.

_'Whatever the case, I have to keep enjoying as much of it as I can. The last time I was here, it barely lasted, so theres no garantee that this time will last either.'_

He finished washing his hair, and cleaned his body, alittle reluctant when he had to turn the soothing water off. Quickly drying himself, he got changed back into his school uniform, though left the jacket off this time, settling for just his pants, shoes and long sleeved white shirt. It was times like this he cursed his hair for having such an unique shape, and tried to get it as neat as he could, before he open the door to the gym, only to quickly ducked back into the bathroom, where he waited.

Seto and Mokuba were still in the gym, and it looked like they'd had a brotherly moment, as Mokuba was curled up in his brother's chest, on the brink of crying, Whilst seto was holding the small boy close, his eyes showing a softness Yami knew was only meant for his little brother.

_' I may be here, but I have no right to watch...in a way, I don't want to either. Mokuba is the most important person in Seto's life...I won't interrupt that...'_

His heart turned heavy with sadness, but he scolded himself mentally. This was no time for stupid jealousy to kick in!!

He waited until they finally began talking once more.

"Is that all your homework done now?" Seto spoke in his usual calm but firm tone.

"Yeah." Mokuba answered quietly, "...oh! wait!" There was a sound like paper being russled, "...This isn't anything we're being marked on, its just a little extra challenge the teacher gave us. Anyone who gets it completely right gets a free lunch from the school cafeteria."

"Mokuba, you take better food with you than what they offer you there."

"Please Niisan? I did try to figure it out on my own..."

Yami chose the time to quietly enter the gym again, hoping it was the right time...

"What is it exactly?" Kaiba asked quietly, taking the peice of paper that looked like it had been terribly screwed up.

"Its just some history work. He wanted us to see if we could find some simple words in ancient languages, like hello, goodbye, etc." Mokuba answered, "I looked all through books and over the net, but I couldn't find alot of them. They want greek, or aztec, or eygtians...I can't find thankyou in any of those!"

_'__Dua Netjer en ek.' _Yami thought to himself, wanting to tell Mokuba, but thought better of it.

"I'm not sure why a free lunch is worth it, but we'll take a look later." Seto answered, handing the paper back.

Yami smiled alittle to himself, glancing over at seto. He felt alittle concerned as he noticed the ceo suddenly seemed very tired, and had to wonder if Mokuba saw it to.

...He hoped for the sake of Seto's efforts to hide it...that he didn't.

Dejavu struck hard, as the moment was interupted by a loud, urgent bang on the door, before a guard almost feel over as he entered.

"I'm very sorry to interupt sir, but the hacker has returned again!" The man said urgently, trying to justify the intrusion.

Yami's heart leaped in panic and rage. It was a struggle to try and keep it steady, as he looked to the ceo, who was standing up, about to repeat the ending of the last visit.

"You and he both seem to enjoy bad timing!" Kaiba growled, quickly striding to the door.

Yami tried to calm his heart, like it was a small child that didn't understand why something had to be taken from it, even if it was for the better.

_'Kaiba may not have been fair about it last time...but...theres no way I can ask him to risk his company for me...and I can't hate him for choosing it either...its his way of looking after himself and his brother...how could I be so selfish as to ask him to stay with me instead?'_

_'...If I can't get what I want, then I'll happily take what I have. I'll walk away content, perhaps heartbroken, but content none the less...'_

Yami frowned at his own thoughts from earlier, not sure if he felt angry that he'd thought them, or angry that he was now regretting them.

"Move it pharoah!"

Yami's head shot up so fast that his neck hurt. Kaiba was glaring at him dangerously from the doorway.

"If my company suffers any loss to that hacker because you wanted to waste time standing around daydreaming....!!" Kaiba threatened, before walking out the door.

His voice had been deadly cold, and his words cruel. But...Yami felt no resentment to those words...

Kaiba wasn't making him leave!

He darted after the Kaiba brothers, racing down the hallway a painful distance behind them. It was hard just to keep them in sight, his body seemed to have had enough of him running like a bomb was about to go off. He pushed himself to go harder as he saw them stand infront of an elevator, as the doors opened.

struggling, he kept going as they stepped inside. Just as he got close, the doors began to shut. Furious that the stupid machine didn't plan on waiting, he reached his hand out, intending to catch the door and stop it.

Instead, his arm was caught in a powerful grip, and he was yanked foward harshly.

In the second it took for Kaiba to grab him and pull him into the elevator, Yami's emotions completely flipped, as his own body brushed past seto's, just enough that his heart screamed to stop there...to lean against that strong body...to embrace the deceptively powerful figure...just to see what it felt like....

_'Urasai! Stupid heart! you shut up right this second!! You can have all the dangerous, ridiculous, completely wrong ideas you want when I'm asleep!!'_

Almost like his heart had heard him, it quite quickly became easy to focus on the moment. He felt more relaxed, certainly anxious about what was going on, but fully capable of concentrating on whatever he needed to.

"You alright Yami?" Mokuba asked quietly as the elevator moved downwards.

"Yes...thankyou Mokuba..." Yami answered as his breathing returned to normal.

He rested back against the cool metal of the elevator wall for just a second, then forced himself to stand straight whilst he was in view of the ceo. This wasn't the time to be weak, and not because of any feelings for kaiba, but because someone was trying to harm the company. The last thing Kaiba needed was to be slowed down.

_'Kaiba...I'll do my best to stay strong for you. You said I'm the only one you consider worthy of being your rival...'_

He gave the smallest glance around to the ceo, before looking ahead again, allowing only the very tiniest flicker of a smirk.

_'The truth is...I don't think I've ever felt more honoured that when you said that to me. All other duelist to me are just opponents...maybe friends, maybe enemies...maybe just aquantences...but opponents none the less...you...are the only one...that I want to call my rival...the only one I 'will' call my rival. So I WILL stay strong for you!'_

_'I WILL free you!'_

Yami blinked, caught off guard by the words that flashed through his mind. A memory of something, but he didn't have time figure out from where right now, the elevator doors were opening. He waited for both Kaiba brothers to exit, but stay close behind, not allowing himself to fall back this time. Curiousity made him want to explore the very advanced floor, which looked like something from a scifi movie, but he quickly reminded himself of why they were even down there.

They entered a small enclosed room that looked like the main control area. It had computers around the walls, with controls at the front, where there were glass windows that looked down into a much larger room, which had stairs leading down different levels where computer after computer sat. There, workers were running around, clearly trying to solve the problem that was being shown on a cinema sized screen on the wall infront of them.

True, Yami knew little to nothing about computers, but the static and the way the picture was being distorted seemed obviously wrong. He stood back as Seto took command, sitting infront of the main computer, and put a set of headphones and a mic on.

"Status!" Kaiba ordered in the strong, commanding voice he was known so well for.

"The hacker has infiltrated almost forty percent of the files sir! So far, none seem to have been damaged, and no viruses have been detected thus far. However, the files he has accessed are out of our reach, we can't get control of them again, and the file percentage is rising!" One of the workers answered promptly.

A quiet curse left Kaiba's mouth, and after that, Yami could barely keep up with what was going on. As if they were speaking a different language, he had no clue what either the ceo, nor his workers were saying to one another, and the best he could tell from watching the screen was that they were trying to set up barriers around the remaining files.

But those barriers were being broken down like thin sheets of glass.

"Having trouble Seto...?"

The foreign voice cast a silence around the entire facility, and even kaiba's hands came to a hault over the keyboard, as the ceo glanced up.

"Don't worry Seto, I have no intention of damaging your precious files, I merely wanted to see how things were progressing at Kaiba corp." The voice laughed, coming through the speakers at every computer.

"Who the hell are you!?" Kaiba demanded with a venom potent enough to make even Mokuba flinch away in fear from his brother.

"Hm? You don't know? I'm hurt Setokun...but then...I suppose my voice does sound alittle different now..." There was a loud laugh, "It still suprises me sometimes!"

"Show your face you coward!" Seto demanded.

"Oh I'm not going that far just yet." The voice answered, amused, though quite serious, " But don't worry, you'll get to see me soon enough...You've already made sure of that one yourself..."

No one missed the ominous tone, and those in the main control room looked to Seto, who was staring ahead at the main screen in the larger room.

"What are you talking about?" He said quietly.

It was then Yami noticed Kaiba's hand twitching, almost like...

Like he was indicating for him to come closer.

A swift glance from the cold sapphires confirmed it, and Yami moved closer. He wanted to help so badly, but what could he do about something he knew nothing of? As soon as he reached Kaiba, the ceo's attention seemed to have turned away from him again.

"Should I tell you seto? It might be more fun to leave you guessing..." the hacker mocked.

Yami waited for Kaiba to speak to him, but no words were spoken. Maybe he'd been wrong about the ceo calling him over. He couldn't help feeling just a small prick of annoyance, and glared down to the control pannel, just watching as the ceo's strong fingers grazed over the letter keys.

p...h...a...r....

Yami's eyes widdened as he realised only certain keys were being touched.

p-h-a-r-o-a-h

pharoah.

He glanced quickly to kaiba, before staring down at his hand intently, clenching his own hand near the keyboard, trying to show he understood. It must have worked, because Kaiba's fingers changed their pattern.

T-a-k-e...

_'Take...' _Yami prepared to lock each word in his head. He quickly learned when each word finished, as Kaiba's fingers paused shortly, before starting the next word.

_'Take...this...down...to...the...workers...and...tell...them...to...upload...it...into...the...main...defense...network...'_

He didn't hesitate as kaiba suddenly reached into his pocket, and pulled out a disk, which he held out to him. He took it carefully, watching as Kaiba swiftly gave him a final message.

_'Wait...until...its...time...'_

He clutched the disk just like Mokuba had held that cassette tape earlier, like he'd loose it even if he merely loosened his grip. As soon as both of his hands were free, Kaiba began working fast, looking like he was preparing some program.

"Now what are you up to seto?" The hacker began, clearly sounding like he knew something was going on, "I'll let you know, I can tell when your being sneaky..."

Kaiba gritted his teeth, but didn't answer, as whatever he was loading finished, and he prepared to start it.

"As impacient as ever Seto. Very well, if your so eager, then I guess you can meet me...right now!"

A loud ringing sound screeched through the main computer's speakers, followed by the most horrifying sound Yami had ever heard.

Seto screaming in pain.

The sound was coming through the ceo's headphones, which he ripped of his head and threw to the ground...before falling himself.

Yami was frozen as his one rival fell before him, as if for a split moment, time had stopped...before it returned in the form of raging pain in his head.

A cry left his own mouth. He could hear it. The screeching. It was so painful, like someone was stabbing into his head. It brought him to his knees, but even more painful than that, was the sight of Kaiba on the ground, holding his head, his teeth gritted in furious pain.

Mokuba was panicing, trying to get his brothers attention, crying his name. But the brunette must have been incapable of answering. Clenching his own teeth, trying to ignore the pain, Yami crawled over to the ceo, grabbed his shoulder, and tried to heave him up.

_'I said...I said...I'd stay strong for you...so...so you...stay strong for me!'_

"Kaiba! Fight it!!" He yelled, now gripping both of the ceo's shoulders.

His own head was trying to bring him down aswell, But he bit his lip, hard enough to make it bleed.

"Kaiba! Look at me!!"

Kaiba had stopped screaming, but he was still gripping his head, his eyes shut tight. A selfish part of Yami wanted to pay attention to his own pain and nothing else, but there was no way he would allow that! No way!!

No matter what it took...helping kaiba....helping...seto...was his only concern right now!

"Kaiba...you can't let this win..." He said quieter, trying to keep his voice strong, as he carefully moved his hands from Seto's shoulders, to the sides of his face, "Don't allow this Kisama to do this to you..."

His voice cut off as a burst of pain shot through his head, and he squinted, looking down, trying to get control back. In that time, Seto's eyes opened slightly, looking to him. As Yami looked back up, rubys met sapphires, and he knew Seto could hear him, but the beautiful blue eyes were closing again.

"Look at me seto kaiba!"

The ceo's eyes shot back open to stare at him.

"Look at me..." Yami repeated quietly, but his voice was dead serious.

He would not allow his rival to fall. Not like this. He would not let some smart mouthed hacker make seto kaiba look weak, because he knew that itself, would cause the ceo even more pain.

_'Only I can challenge his strength...no one else can defeat him! And no one...no one, has the right to hurt him!!'_

It was like seto could read his thoughts, as his hands moved away from his head, and suddenly clenched around Yami's wrists, but not to pry his hands off. No, Yami knew that Kaiba was returning the favour. he knew the past pharoah was suffering the same as him, and he also wouldn't allow him to fall to this.

_'Seto...thankyou...'_

Kaiba grunted as he suddenly began to stand weakly, his hands still tight around Yami's wrists, meaning that he was pulled up aswell. Yami in return, kept his gaze locked to Seto's, not allowing either of them to loose focus. There was no arguement this time about working together. Kaiba pulled them up, whilst Yami stopped them from falling again.

His teeth gritted in pain, he watched as Seto reached towards the computer, his hand over the button to make the file from earlier begin. Yami didn't need to be told what to do, and though an annoyingly large part of him didn't want to, he let his hands slip away from Kaiba, forcing them both around the disk he'd somehow managed not to drop.

Not once...did their eyes move away from each other...

With a harsh click, Seto started the program.

And Yami was off.

He paid no attention to the screens, which were flashing black and white, like something was interupting the signals. He stumbled to the door seperating the main control room to the rest of the computers, shoved it open, and made his way down the the stairs as fast as his throbbing head would allow. He startled one of the workers as he stopped by them, and shoved the disk in their face.

"Upload...this into...the...the main...defence net...network...." He panted out, his body shaking heavily.

"S-sir? what is..." the slightly paniced man began to ask.

"Thats an order from your boss!! Do as he says!!" Yami roared at the guy, his patience all but spent.

The guy fumbled, but took the disk, and placed it inside the computer infront of himself. The black and white almost instantly vanished, suprising the man, but making him focus, as he began doing as he'd been told. Yami turned away, clutching his head, and concentrated on pushing away whatever force was trying to penetrate his mind. That sounded so silly to think, but he was hardly one to critizise strange sounding occurances.

"Nice try seto..." The voice suddenly spoke once more. It must have been cut off during the little intervene by seto, " But that seemed an awefully weak attempt for someone like you."

"Program uploaded sir." The worker spoke to Yami.

Yami heard him past the headache, and looked swiftly to Kaiba upstairs, hoping his firm glare was enough for the ceo to get the message.

It must have been, as the ceo turned his attention back to the main screen.

"I don't know who the hell you are, but if you really know me as you say you do, then you should know that I don't make weak attempts!" Kaiba stated loudly.

From what Yami could see where he was, Kaiba's hands flew over the keyboard once more, before he slammed his fist down on what must have been the activation button.

_'Blue Phoenix Sheild program initiated'_ A computerised voice spoke clearly through the entire facility, before the large screen suddenly became clear, showing a white screen filled with orderly lines of hundreds of yellow dots, which must have represented the files.

From one side, the screen had been over taken more than half way by a slowly moving red wave, clearly the hacker's work. But now from the other side, a blue wave came fast, and crashed into the red.

"What the!?" The hacker's voice yelled in shock, as the red wave was pushed back by the blue wave, which reclaimed the files that had been over taken.

"Don't be foolish enough to think I'd just allow you to take what is mine!" Kaiba enforced, " This is my company! And I will never allow a second rate hacker to get by me!"

Yami looked up to Seto. It was clear he was stil in agony, but yet his strength was back, his eyes as sharp and cold as the blue eyes white dragons that represented him in duel. This was the seto Kaiba he knew. Powerful and beautiful.

So strong...and...hansome.

_'...but...'_

Yami suddenly felt lost. It was as if he'd been reading a book, but never read more than halfway.

The way Seto had smiled at his brother on the ferris wheel...his collapse at school...the chances he had given Yami to prove his feelings...his strange eating habits...his attitude to his brother's studies....

...the pain...he had just shown...

They were all like glimpses at the half of the book he hadn't read.

_'Seto...' _Yami was certain he felt his heart crack, _'I don't...I don't...really...know you...'_

"Fine..." The hacker's voice cracked through the speakers, sounding like he was was loosing his grip on the connection, "Congradulations seto, you've given me no choice but to leave this time, but remember this...Kaiba corp. is the sheild....not you."

There was a cracking sound over the speakers, before what remained of the red wave on the screen retreated, and soon vanished. Any static and distortion removed itself from the computers, and Yami breathed out heavily as the pain in his head faded almost as fast as it had come, leaving just a dull ache, probably the prelude to a headache later, but no doubt something that could be easily ignored.

"The intruder has broken the connection sir! Access to files is back to one hundred percent! The Blue Phoenix Sheild program worked sir!!" A worker annouced.

The rest of the workers joined in his relief, cheering loudly.

"Don't go celebrating until all security has been reset on the highest level, and all files have been checked for any forgein data!!" Kaiba naturally broke into the cheerful mood.

The workers weren't stupid, and didn't hesitate to do as they were told. Yami watched them go back to work as he climbed back up the stairs into the main control room. They must have been used to his attitude, as none seemed to really mind the hault in their victory celebration. Many were still smiling.

"Niisan, that was amazing!" Mokuba applauded, "I heard that you'd made a Red Pheonix Sheild program...but I'd never heard of the Blue Phoenix Sheild..."

"This hacker forced me to get it finished sooner than I'd intended." Kaiba grumbled, trailing his fingers through his hair in a frustrated way.

"But what was wrong with the red Pheonix?" Mokuba asked curiously.

"It could destroy an intruder's connection just as easily, but there was no guarantee it wouldn't damage kaiba corp's files in the process. Tests showed that files that had been infected were at a high risk of being corrupted or possibly destroyed when the Red Pheonix sheild quaranteened them. The Blue Pheonix sheild doesn't have that side effect, it can be used saftely." Seto answered.

Yami was impressed as he listened, though the way Kaiba said it so calmly made him guess that it probably wasn't that big of a deal to seto himself.

Mokuba's expression suddenly became worried, and his tiny frame shook, before he suddenly wrapped his arms around his brother.

"Niisan! What happened to you and Yami before?!?" He whimpered.

His words sparked realisation in Yami's mind, and he looked around to the workers in the room.

"Was no one else affected?" He asked.

"No. You and Mr Kaiba both just collapsed when that screeching sound came from the main computer's speakers. It was a little sharp and peircing, but other than sore ears, none of us were in any pain." One worker explained quietly, shaking his head.

Two workers by him nodded in agreement.

Yami looked to Seto at the same time as the ceo looked to him. Both gazes were strong and firm, but asked the same question.

What had happened? And why were only they affected?

Despite that no questions had been answered yet, Yami breathed out quietly as he knew it was time.

Kaiba wasn't telling him to leave, but the ceo had nearly lost his company, not to mention he'd had a painful, frustrating day at school, and then that mental attack from the hacker. Things were finally some what calm, no doubt Kaiba would want this time to rest, weither he admitted it or not.

_'Besides...I need...some time to think...'_

"Hey...Yami?? Where are you going?" Mokuba said, looking around to where the teen was making his way back out of the room.

"I shouldn't over stay my welcome Mokuba." Yami answered with a fake smile and chuckle.

"Huh? What are you talking about??" Mokuba blinked, and moved over to him, " You just helped save Kaiba corp!"

Yami couldn't help but flinch at those words, and didn't dare look to the boy's older brother.

"I'm flattered Mokuba, but all I did was deliver a program down a few steps. I don't...." He hesitated for just a moment, turning his gaze to the door, "...I'm sorry that...I guess I don't really understand anything..."

He both hoped and feared that Seto had heard his message...not the words for mokuba and the workers....but the message meant only for Seto.

"Hey, come on, don't worry about it. I can explain alot of it to you, after all, you can't live in this place and not learn something about computers and buisness..." Mokuba joked, thankfully only catching the words as they appeared to be.

"Thankyou Mokuba, but its best I go. I never told Yugi or anyone where I was going, I have alot of explaining to do when I get home." He answered with a weak smile.

With a disappointed frown, the small raven haired boy was forced to give up. Yami finally looked up to Seto...not afraid now...and met the cold gaze, returning it shortly. But he couldn't say what he really wanted to say. No, he couldn't and wouldn't say it here.

"I'll grab my belongings and be gone."

The words tasted sour in his mouth, but it was the only verbal option he had. Breaking the gaze with the ceo, he turned and exited the room.

"Wait! Yami, I'll....get the limo driver to drop you home!" Mokuba called, and went after him.

Kaiba remained silent, watching as they left the room, turning away when a worker asked him something.

****

Yami glanced around the gym, his bag that he'd retreived from the study slung over his shouler, his jacket that he'd left in the gym held loosely by his side.

He felt abit pathetic standing there, knowing he hadn't forgotten anything, his heart just didn't want to leave. He didn't scold himself this time though, and instead, just forced himself to turn and begin walking again.

Something shifted under his foot. Frowning, he looked down, before reaching down to pick up the peice of paper he'd stepped on. It was the work on acient terminology that Mokuba had asked his brother about earlier. He must have dropped it when they'd rushed out of the room before. He sighed quietly, and went to place it with the rest of the boy's homework that was sitting on a bench close by, when his eyes looked over the words on the list again.

His thoughts zipped back to the control room somewhere downstairs, and the fact that he'd had to hold his tongue and resist speaking his mind.

He frowned deeply, but this time in determination, not annoyance. Reaching into his own bag, he snatched up the first pen he came across, and practically pinned the peice of paper to the bench.

"Weither or not you like hearing it Kaiba...." He spoke quietly, before his pen hit the paper.

****

"Are you sure you can't stay abit longer Yami? You and Niisan didn't even get to duel..." Mokuba attempted one last time as he stood by the limo outside.

"Your brother needs to be allowed to focus on getting the security back up and running." Yami answered calmly, smiling, alittle more genuinly this time, "thankyou for the lift." He added, stepping up to the limo as the driver opened the door for him.

"No problem, but you've gotta promise to come back soon and have that duel." Mokuba answered, giving the thumbs up, aswell as a small smirk that was like a soft version of his brother's.

It was actually cute enough to make Yami chuckle just a little.

"As soon as possible." He promised, though he knew the chances of it happening were weak.

The driver closed the door, and got in the front. The younger of the Kaiba brothers was left watching as the limo drove away a moment later, disappearing around the corner in seconds.

"Come back soon Yami...the only visitors we usually get are buisness partners..." He spoke sadly, before going back inside the mansion.

He returned to the gym a few minutes later to pick up his school work. He was about to pack away the extra history challenge, when something caught his attention, making him blink in suprise, before he ran out of the room to find his brother, who thankfully was only down the hall, returning from the security room.

" Hey Niisan, look at this." He said holding up the paper to him.

"You already showed me that Mokuba." Seto answered, not rude or mean, just alittle tired.

" No I know...but look!" Mokuba insisted, standing on his toes to make his point more clear, "Someone has written one of the answers in! Its not my hand writing!"

Seto finally stopped, and looked to the paper, before taking it, looking where Mokuba was pointing under the egyptian word list...

thankyou: _'__Dua Netjer en ek'_

Setos eyes narrowed alittle, but he handed the paper back after just a moment.

"True, its too neat to be your writing."

"Hey!" Mokuba moaned, but wasn't upset, he knew when his brother was teasing him, "One of the servants must have come in and written it."

"No, they know better than to do your homework for you." Seto answered firmly.

"Aww, you even told the servants not to help me?? This time Mokuba did whine.

"Do you have a time limit on that challenge?" Seto asked, not answering Mokuba's question.

"No." Mokuba answered simply.

"Then go put your work away, and meet me in the lounge." Seto told him. After a short pause, he added, " Be quick, or you don't get to pick the movie."

Mokuba's entire face lit up in pure happiness, and somehow managed the impossible by putting both Yugi and Ryou's puppy eyes to shame.

"Time me!!" He laughed loudly, and ran of to his room.

As he vanished from sight, Seto slowly reached up, and pulled the silver chain out from under his shirt, where he'd kept it hidden since he and Yami first entered the mansion. He looked over the blue gem, so tiny in his strong palm, but as he closed his hand around the jewel, it was with care.

"What the hell were you thinking?" He whispered coldly, before carefully tucking it back under his shirt, and continued on his way to meet back up with his brother.

****

Yami rested his face against his fist as he stared out the limo window, though the tinted glass made it near impossible to see anything.

_'I guess I should be grateful that I didn't actually get sent home this time, it was my own descision. Still...will Kaiba see it as...me giving up?'_

He cringed alittle as he remembered the realisation he'd made in the control room.

_'I hate to say it, but I'm hardly any better than Kaiba's fangirls. Sure, I did more than just look at the cover of the book...but theres still so much I don't know...its not just knowing what he likes to eat or stuff like that...but I don't even understand how he truly feels about things....about....me...'_

His eyes narrowed miserably, but then widened again as a small glint in the window caught his attention. He looked down to see the crimson red gem hanging loosely from his neck, swaying slightly from the motion of the car.

He steadied it by raising his palm for it to rest upon. As he stared down at it, he remembered when he'd first found it in the jewellers the day he was shopping with Malik. Something had just seemed so right about the necklace and its partner, the silver chain and blue gem combination that he had finally managed to give to Kaiba earlier that day.

He thought back to watching as the ceo placed the delicate chain around his neck, and suddenly his miserable mood was blown away by a burst of happiness.

He smirked and closed his fist securely.

_'It may be hoping for too much for me and kaiba....no...for me and seto, to fit together aswell as our necklaces do, But theres no harm in trying. I certainly didn't put up with all that anxiety for nothing. I won't ask for more than you'll give me Seto, but until the point where you tell me to back off, then I'm not giving up on you."_

It was only five minutes longer until the limo pulled up outside the game shop. Yami thanked the driver and stepped out, not at all suprised at how the game shop's door flew open the moment he closed the car door.

"Yami Mutou you're dead!!!" Yugi cried in fury, racing towards his dark half, " where in kami's name have you be-WHHHAAAA!!??"

The tiny boy's furious rush was ended quickly, as Yami grabbed him in his arms, and swung him around playfully, making the small boy scream in shock as his short legs left the ground.

Yami put him down carefully after a few seconds, but the boy was too suprised and fell over onto the pavement.

"Five minutes hikari, and you can have the whole story!" Yami laughed, and headed inside.

He made it to the staircase, when an order to wait from Yugi made him smirk playfully, and he raced upstairs to his room, shutting the door behind him. He calmly made his way to his bed, where he laid down on his stomach, and rested his face in his pillow, closing his eyes as he waited for the stupid smile to leave his face. Not that he planned to make it leave...no, this time, it was welcomed to stay as long as it liked.

"Yami you open this door right now!" Yugi demanded outside his room, and banged on the door, much like how malik had the other day.

"In a moment Hikari." Yami called back, unable to help the teasing tone.

" No! Now! I'm not waiting this time!!" Yugi yelled back.

"Your going to disturb the neighbours hikari." Yami continued, opening his eyes to gaze out the window, only now realising how late it actually was. No wonder Yugi had obviously been so worried, the sun was almost fully set!

"Let them come!! They can kill me after I kill you!! Now let me in!!"

Yami sighed with a chuckle, and finally sat up, and stared at the door.

"Alright, but if you want the story, it means you can't tackle me and knock me out."

"Fine...I can always do that afterwards!" Yugi replied, " Now open this door!!"

"Hikari....its not locked...."

Yami sat there smirking almost cruelly as there was an awequard pause from outside, before the door knob turned, and Yugi stepped in, his face red with both anger and embarrassment, which only got worse as he saw Yami's smirk.

"You ass!! You let me do that on purpose!!!" He screamed, and ran over, actually jumping right ontop of Yami, and wacked him, kinda hard actually, but Yami just took it unphased.

"What made you think it was locked??" He laughed.

"You always lock it when your trying to excape my wrath!!" Yugi yelled, still wacking him.

_'Your wrath??...Aibou...I don't dare tell you just how adorable you are when your angry.'_

"You just let me know when your ready to talk Hikari." He said calmly.

"Count on it!!" Yugi confirmed, and wacked his dark half once more.

****

whoopsie.....definately too long... _'

I hope this was worth the wait...I really do...and I didn't notice this till now....but I sound kinda mean to fan girls and those at private schools.....please no one think I'm trying to be mean! I'm just trying to think how Yami and Seto would think....lol! I myself am a fan girl! I'd probably send those two mad! XD

I don't know how it could be so very hard to find just one word in eyptian....but it was!! However, I should let everyone know, that that is the way to say thankyou to a man....theres some different way for females, but I didn't write it down sorry.......if I'm at all wrong, and anyone knows....I'm reeeaally sorry, and could you please let me know?

lol...if this chapter's length or contents didn't bore you away, thanks for reading, will update asap! ^-^

please review if you enjoyed!


	9. Chapter 9

_finally!!_

_Sorry for the wait, but I've finally started a new story, and was working on that for awhile. but lol, I descided after two chapters that I wasn't working on it any longer until this story had been updated! :P_

_I regret to admit that this may not be the most exciting chapter of all...but I certainly hope it will be enjoyable enough. I'm afraid its one of those "not so interesting, but still kinda neccessary" chapters...._

_I should apologise....I know I've made Malik and Yami very ooc towards each other, but I'm afraid I've grown fond of that strange little bond between them...so please forgive me ^^'_

_I'm pretty happy with how certain parts of this turned out...hope you enjoy!_

_Warning: This chapter contains light hinting of non-concent....not heavy, just touching....but in any case, I think its time to change this story to M rating...._

_disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of its characters._

Chapter 9:

_The beautiful skin, pale from exhaustion, had been far softer than it looked, and yet it hadn't taken away from the strong features of the face. Thick, silky brown locks had curled around his fingers where he held that smooth face, hot breath mingling with his own, as his own face sat mere inches from the one his eyes were locked to, piercing gems of ice absorbing him deeper and deeper..._

"Earth to Yaaaaaammiiii!!!!"

The pair of crimson orbs flashed open, and blinked around at bright amethysts.

"I'm not even going to ask what that silent moment was about." Yugi muttered rolling his eyes from where he sat backwards on Yami's chair, his arms draped over the back, "Who would seriously look at you, and know you're addicted to day dreaming?"

Yami frowned a little, but realized his mind had drifted away whilst he was in the middle of a drink, and looked down to where the straw still sat quite comfortably in his mouth. He took a sip, and pulled the plastic away.

"As I was saying..." Yugi began, "Do you think this will actually go anywhere? I mean you and Kaiba?"

There was surprise in the small boy's voice. Well, he had nearly fallen off the bed last night when Yami had confessed his whereabouts to him.

"I can't really say aibou." Yami answered after a moment of thought, leaning back against his pillow, "I'm not giving up on him yet, not unless he makes it absolutely positively clear that he doesn't want me around, and I find it believable..."

"What do you mean by that?"

Yami smirked.

"Well, about the only thing Kaiba is afraid of is admitting his feelings to anything..."

Yami turned his smirk around to his Hikari as the boy giggled in agreement.

"It's true that there's no saying he feels anything but rivalry towards me..."

Ouch...that hurt to admit...

"But he challenged me to stand up to him and say what I wanted, and when I finally did, I wound up getting a second chance to go to his place. So unless he's just humoring me..." His voice trailed off at the thought of it.

"Well if he is..." Yugi replied, and lightly punched his own palm in a gesture that made Yami laugh.

"Aibou, that was just adorable, but leave that stuff to Joukun and Hondasan." Yami answered, but then smiled warmly, "Though I appreciate the support."

Yugi just gave a warm smile in return, looking utterly kawaii. Yami chuckled quietly, before his smile faded, his eyes drifting down to his bed.

"Still...what are the chances of something like that happening between me and Seto...?" He whispered.

"Something like what?? And did you just use Kaiba's first name casually??" Yugi asked innocently.

Yami didn't answer, a look of disappointment drifting over his face.

He'd not realized it at the time...for obvious reasons...but last night, he and kaiba had been so close. They were face to face... just the tiniest gap separating them.

If either had leant forward even the slightest...

A loud, familiar giggle made him look up, and he met Yugi's _too_ familiar cheeky grin.

"Someone wants to get naughty with Seto Kaiba..."

Yami just stared blankly, unsure if he'd registered that correctly.

"Hikari! That did not just come out of YOUR mouth!" He suddenly shouted.

The cheeky grin grew....if that was possible.

Yami calmed quickly, before raising his eye brows at his hikari, in a way that made the cheeky grin vanish, as Yugi wasn't slow to realize he was in trouble.

But before he could react, the drink was down, and Yami stood and grabbed the back of the chair he was sitting on, span it so Yugi's back was facing him, and pulled him off. The hikari squealed as he was thrown gently on the bed, and his dark half straddled his waist. Amethysts blinked up in shock at rubies that glinted with the same cruel intentions as the wicked grin on Yami's face.

"Such naughty thoughts don't suit you hikari. You're going to take them back, aren't you?" Yami whispered in a dark, amused tone that would shock anyone else, even if he was only pretending.

"H-hey! No fair! Don't blame me for your little Kaiba fantasies!" Yugi objected, trying to squirm free.

In just a moment, Yami pinned his hands above his head, and pushed his shirt up with his free hand, causing a very loud gasp from Yugi, who now understood.

"No...No! Yami don't!! Don't do it!!"

"Take back those very inappropriate words hikari..." Yami answered calmly, still smirking down at him.

"If you do this, then I'll tell everyone at school that you were getting sweaty just thinking of Kaiba!!" Yugi yelled in panic.

He hushed as Yami leaned closer.

"Aibou...are _you _really in the position to make threats right now?" He whispered.

The taller boy inhaled deeply, before slowly lowering his face towards Yugi's stomach.

"Yami...p-please...n-no...." the boy whimpered.

Yami's lips grazed over the pale skin.

"OK OK!! I TAKE IT BACK I TAKE IT BACK!!!"

Yami smirked, and looked up at his hikari.

"I take it back already!! Just please....NO RASPBERRIES!! please!!" Yugi begged.

Satisfied, Yami chuckled quietly, and sat up, releasing Yugi, who wasted not a second of his freedom in trying to clobber Yami.

"I HATE YOU!! I HATE YOU! You promised you'd never give me a raspberry ever again!!" He shouted, small tears from panic actually sitting on his lower eye lids.

Yami's smirk became a guilty smile. He knew damn well Yugi really hated raspberries, especially since his stomach was dangerously ticklish.

He wrapped his arms protectively around the tiny boy, holding him lovingly.

"And I hold to that promise Aibou." He whispered to him, his tone honest.

"Don't call me aibou whilst I'm angry at you. You're just digging for forgiveness!" Yugi muttered angrily.

"Yugi, you know I wouldn't do that to you again. Go ahead; you can bite me if it makes you feel better…" Yami continued still smiling warmly.

A deep sigh escaped Yugi as he calmed a little.

"I don't want to bite you; I just want to be angry at you. If you were just calling my bluff, then what would you have done if I hadn't taken it back?"

"Then I'd have thought of some other way to tease you." Yami replied, chuckling as the small but powerful flame that belonged to Yugi struck back.

"Hm. Fine. But when we get to school, I'm not talking to you for the entire day." Yugi stated strongly.

"As you wish Hikari." Yami replied calmly. He'd heard that all too often.

_'Let's see if you can make it past lunch without talking to me this time Aibou.'_

"Boys! Don't be late for school!" Sugoroku called from downstairs.

"Hai grandpa!" Yugi called back.

He pulled back from Yami and stood up.

"Can't we be? Just this once?" Yami muttered.

"Come on lazy..." Yugi answered quickly with another roll of his eyes, "You can face kaiba, but not another day at school??"

He grabbed Yami's arm, and pulled him up.

"Kaiba doesn't force me out of bed early, lecture me all day, and then give me homework to top it off!" Yami debated loudly.

****

"Yugi have you gotten an early start on the silent treatment? You've barely spoken since we left?" Yami asked.

"Hm? No, you've got until we reach school to talk to me." Yugi answered calmly, sounding like it was a very normal thing to say, "I was actually wondering..."

_'Don't you ask what I think you're going to!'_

"Have you started that English assignment yet??"

_'...Dammit...' _

"I tried over and over yesterday Hikari, but I just can't think of anything to write about." Yami admitted.

He didn't need to look around to know Yugi was smirking.

"Well I hate to say I told you so, but..."

"Oh don't even pretend you hate it Hikari." Yami grumbled, looking to him.

"Yeah, your right, I don't." Yugi grinned.

"This is just payback for this morning." Yami stated with a frown.

"Better believe it!" Yugi replied with his own imitation of the wicked grin Yami had worn earlier.

"Don't tempt me to take back my promise hikari." Yami warned.

"Hmph! You wouldn't dare!" Yugi argued, his grin disappearing.

"You're making the thought very inviting..."

"If you're so desperate to give someone a raspberry, why don't you do it to Malik?? I bet he'd love you for it!"

Yami and Yugi both stopped and looked to each other, a short silence between them.

Simultaneously, they both grinned, before bursting into laughter.

"Hey! How dare you two crack a joke without me!?" Came a familiar voice, and they looked around to see Malik walking up to them.

His pleasant smile brought a warm smile in return to Yami's face. Next to Yugi, Malik was his best friend, and though they acted crazy around each other, his only regret was that their friendship hadn't been nearly so strong before...that time...it was only afterwards that they had grown so close.

Trailing behind him, they could see...to their great surprise...the rest of their friends all together. Even Bakura walked with the group, despite clearly feeling awequard.

_'I suppose it doesn't help that Ryou is about five seconds away from clinging to Jou.' _Yami thought as he watched Ryou strolling mere inches from Joukun, who didn't seem to notice the soft brown eyes glancing up to him here and there.

"What's going on guys?" Yugi asked cheerfully, almost laughing in surprise.

"Well, purely by coincidence, we kept meeting up around town." Honda explained.

"To put it short, I met Ryou and Bakura whilst getting a coffee at a café this morning, and Malik's bus broke down, and he ran into Jounichi, Honda and Otogi along the way.

"Am I glad I took the early bus today!" Malik sighed, "If it had been the later bus that had broken down, I'd never have made it. It doesn't get me to school until about five minutes before class!"

Yami and Yugi looked to each other.

"Malik can make it to class with more than two minutes to spare!?." They said together, and laughed with everyone else.

Even Bakura almost smiled faintly at that.

The group walked together to the school, and stood outside the entrance.

"Ok Yami, anything important you want to get out of the way??" Yugi questioned, lifting his foot like he was about to step into the school grounds.

"Yes. I'll be counting." Yami grinned back, before walking over the invisible line Yugi had made.

He smirked back at Yugi, who looked annoyed, but had begun the silent treatment, and so wouldn't allow himself to say anything back.

"Hey, what's going on between you two?? This is hardly the first time he's given you the silent treatment, but what did you do this time??" Malik asked curiously as he followed after Yami.

Yami was going to answer, but then paused, and looked back to Yugi, who had a small grin slowly crawling on his face, which Yami was quick to return, as they both remembered their earlier conversation.

"Perhaps I'll..._tell_ you later Malik." He finally answered, barely containing a chuckle.

After that, they all parted ways for their own classes.

****

"Katsuya! Honda!"

Both boys looked up together, posed from where they had been fighting, Honda clenching Jounichi's hair, whilst jou's hand pushed against his face.

"Why is it that we cannot begin one lesson without me saying 'I'll see you both after class'!?" The teacher growled, and both boys wasted no time in taking their seats.

Yami opened one eye from where he sat with his face rested on his fist, bored even though the lesson had yet to begin.

"Right then class..." The teacher cleared his throat as he moved behind his desk, "Before we begin today's lesson, let us have a quick discussion about your English assignments."

He paused as half the class groaned loudly.

_'Idiots. Half of them don't even consider it that bad, they're just joining in to disgruntle the teacher.' _Yami thought, more annoyed by the fake groans than the topic they were about to be lectured on.

"As I was saying..." The teacher continued in forced patience, "The other English teachers and I have discovered that there has been some confusion in what we expect you to write about."

Half the class turned their attention back to him.

"You were all asked to write a poem describing a place in your life that holds deep meaning to you. It has been realized that most of you, quite understandably, have interpreted this to mean a location, or a physical place, such as your homes, or perhaps a vacation spot. Whilst all these types of answers are most welcome and perfectly acceptable, I want to inform you that the assignment is not simply limited to actual locations alone..."

Now the teacher had everyone's attention, even Yami's.

"Whilst this assignment doesn't count to any large marks on your overall results in this subject, I want for you all to show me just how creative you can be. For this assignment, as well as physical places, you have the choice of writing about a place in your lives, an actual _point _in time that in some way or another, has touched you, or made some change in your life."

"Sir?" A girl spoke, raising her hand hesitantly, "Do you mean like...well, like when my mother gave birth to my little sister?"

"If that touched you deeply, and was a big change in your life, then that is a perfect example." The teacher answered pleased, "That is exactly the type of topic we recommend class. Something that has really pulled at your emotions. It can be a place, a point in time, it may even be dreams if you wish. However, make sure that, if you should choose a dream, that you understand perfectly what it means to you, for once you read your poem to the class, you will be expected to explain to the rest of us what it is about, and why it is important to you. For this reason, I recommend not using a memory that may be too personal. Understand, this is not about revealing your secrets, this is about sharing your feelings about something you're comfortable to talk about, and seeing how creatively you can do so."

"aww, we'll be one big huggy family afterwards, and we can cry and laugh all together!" Some baka at the back yelled out, his friends laughing with him.

Yami frowned a little at their voices as the teacher told them off, before glancing around to Malik, who returned his slightly surprised look.

_' I wonder if this will make things any easier....'_

****

"You mean you knew all along?"

"Hm, of course. I'm surprised you guys didn't." Anzu answered Jounichi as they sat at lunch together.

"But then again, even some people in our class didn't know Anzu." Yugi replied, and bit into his sandwich.

"It was more than just some. I think most of the class was surprised." Ryou said calmly.

"I think our WHOLE class was surprised." Malik added.

"So what now? Does everyone know what they're gonna write about?" Honda muttered through a mouthful of food, making most of the others look a little disgusted.

Yugi gave a glance to Yami, as if to ask him the same thing. Yami didn't look back, but hadn't missed the glance.

"I haven't picked a topic yet, but maybe I'll actually be able to think of something now." He answered calmly.

He took a large mouthful from his water bottle, and wiped his face. As he glanced up, his attention was diverted by the sight of his favourite brunette.

Seto Kaiba was walking past a few metres away, school bag in hand. Now doubt he was heading to the computer room, it was common knowledge around the school that he often spent his lunch times there.

Like he could feel the rubies gazing at him, He suddenly turned his sapphire eyes on Yami, and held his gaze, even as he continued walking. This time, Yami wasn't at all afraid or embarrassed that Seto knew he was watching him. He didn't turn away, returning the calm but strong glare he gave only to his rival. He felt no need to do anything more than just look. It wasn't just about not rushing Kaiba. Despite his thoughts this morning, he himself didn't want to go too far too fast.

'_I'll take as long as necessary Kaiba…however long it takes to show you I'm serious. I won't pretend to know you as much as I should, but this is more than some mere crush I'll be over at the end of the week. I'll take my time, and see where this goes…but don't think this is over Kaiba…even if you're just playing some cruel game... I assure you…I'm not!'_

"Hey! Pharaoh! Come back from…where ever that world you always drift off to is!"

Yami looked around to Jounichi, who was mucking around, waving his arms to get his attention, though stopped when the rubies looked to him.

"Was just wondering how much longer you've got to wear that?"

Yami looked to where he was pointing at his bandaged hand.

"Quite a while still. Tomorrow marks one week since I first got it."

He flinched as soon as he'd said those words. He still remembered very clearly just why his hand was like that it the first place!

'_Yeah, that was smart baka!'_

Yugi must have felt his tension, as the smaller boy gave him a gentle nudge with his hand, obviously wanting to know if he was alright. Yami gave him a reassuring smile, which was returned after a moment.

"So, who's up for the movies this afternoon?" Malik asked.

"Can't." Yami answered bluntly, frowning at his own answer.

"Why Yami?" Ryou asked.

"Because I skipped my detention yesterday, and I've already promised to make it up this afternoon. By the time I finish, it'll likely be too late to be thinking of going out." Yami answered.

"Why _did _you skip Yami? It doesn't sound like you." Anzu continued, " I mean no one enjoys detention, but you usually prefer to get things over and done with, and not hear anything more about them."

" I had better ways of spending my time than sitting around in a classroom writing out lines for an hour." Yami answered coolly.

He'd known that question would come up sooner or later, and Yugi was the only one permitted to know the truth. He was glad to see no one else noticed Yugi take an oversized bite from his apple, no doubt to avoid smirking.

" Got that right." Jou agreed, resting his arms behind his head as he leant back against the wall, " Still, you'd usually encourage the whole 'accepting the consequences of your own actions' thing, and…ack! I'm talking like a teacher! Someone hit me!"

Honda and Otogi gladly complied, making the rest of the group laugh as Jou rubbed his head, yelling something about it being a joke…but he too soon joined in the laughter.

****

" Well, I'm glad to see 'nothing came up' today Mutou." The P.E teacher said with less humor than it seemed possible.

"I'm sorry for not coming yesterday as I should have sir." Yami replied calmly, bowing his head a bit.

Well at least he was being honest. True he wouldn't dare change how yesterday had gone, but he did really feel bad about skipping detention. Jounichi and Anzu had been right about him. If he did something wrong, he preferred to take the consequences of it.

"Look Mutou, you may not be the most eager student in the school, but unlike your friends Katsuya and Honda, you're hardly a problem to teach. Against my better judgment, I'm going to believe that something important really did prevent you from coming yesterday, however, you will still serve the time today, and I DON'T want this to happen again! Do I make myself clear?" The teacher stated loudly.

"Perfectly sir." Yami answered promptly.

"Good. Then follow me." The teacher answered, and directed him down the hallway.

It was so quiet when everyone else had left. Yami had to wish it was this way all the time. It was like the last day of school for the year, when a lot of students thought it was fine not to come that day, just because they wouldn't be doing any hard work. Often there were so few students that the classes condensed to smaller ones.

'_That was about the only time I was ever in Seto's class for a whole day. All we did most of the day was watch documentaries on the topics we'd last been studying, or do quizzes, or play sport, nothing major, yet he still came, even though you could see in his eyes that he thought it was a waste of time."_

Yami surprised himself with his own thoughts. He could remember something like that about Kaiba?? Even though he'd rarely paid him attention at that time??

'_Well…my heart WAS locked to someone else back then…' _He thought bitterly, before his thoughts flashed back to Kaiba during the last day of school last year, when the teachers had pulled out the most boring documentary they could find in the school's collection. He couldn't even remember what it had been about, but even the CEO hadn't been able to hide his boredom.

The threatening darker memories slipped out of his mind, and he allowed the small flicker of happiness that the thought of Kaiba gave him, before the teacher stopped in front of a door. Yami glanced up to read the words 'computer room' on the glass screen on the door.

"You'll start by cleaning the computer room Mutou, Kami knows it needs it." The teacher instructed, handing him a broom.

"Doesn't it get cleaned like the rest of the school?" Yami replied casually.

"Mostly, but some days no."

Yami raised an eyebrow at the surprising answer.

"…why…?"

The teacher just gave him a dry smirk, before opening the door. Yami barely stopped himself from showing any sign of shock as his eyes immediately fell upon an all too familiar person sitting at one of the computers in the otherwise empty room.

"He often stays back to work in here…" The teacher muttered, as if he thought Kaiba wouldn't be able to hear him, " As you can imagine, the janitor feels a bit uneasy about cleaning in here on those days."

Yami's initial reaction was not what he expected. Generally, he would completely understand anyone else being afraid of being alone in the same room as Kaiba.

…but…

"What's to fear!? All he's doing is sitting there working!" Yami replied, looking to the teacher.

The teacher looked taken back, before annoyed.

"Watch your tone Mutou, or you'll be back here tomorrow!" He warned.

Yami was quick to realize he'd let his feelings slip into his tone.

"Sorry sir…for my outburst."

A loud hmph answered him.

"Finish cleaning up in here, then depending on how long that takes you, I'll find some other room for you to clean. I'll be in the P.E. staff room once you're done."

The teacher ordered, before leaving the room.

Yami frowned at the door for awhile, before exhaling deeply, and turned to start cleaning.

He swept, dusted, polished and tidied the entire room, save for the small circle he placed around the computer Kaiba was at, but was not the least bit afraid to clean anywhere around the CEO. Mostly, he was just mildly aware of his presence in the room, and the brunette also seemed unbothered by what was going on around him.

When he eventually finished, he stretched and yawned quietly, before grabbing the cleaning items, and left without a second glance at the boy still sitting silently at the computer. Just a few metres down the hall, he stopped and looked back to the door of the computer room.

"That janitor…what a coward. What in Kami's name was so scary about that??" He muttered, but then couldn't help a smug smirk as he turned and continued down the hall.

****

Cleaning the gym room wasn't so bad, not when compared to the boy's change rooms. He made a very strong mental note to try and avoid ever earning detention again!

He locked up and returned the keys to the teacher, who finally gave him permission to leave, though naturally, not without the whole 'I hope you've learnt your lesson' speech.

He made his way out through the playground, and exited through the gate. Even if it hadn't been getting late, the thought of meeting up with his friends sadly didn't sound so appealing right now.

"Mutou san?"

"Hm?" Yami blinked, looking up at his name.

He quickly recognized the driver standing by the black limo parked alongside the pathway.

"Yes?" He replied eventually.

The driver answered by opening the back door, and bowing a little as he gestured for Yami to get in. The boy in return, just stared in utter confusion.

" I have orders to transport you wherever you request sir." The driver explained, not missing the look.

"Is your boss still here?" Yami asked, glancing back to the school.

"No, Mr. Kaiba left around fifteen minutes ago."

Yami just raised his eyebrows questionly, looking between the limo and the driver.

" He left in his _private _limo. This here is merely the spare vehicle." Was the response.

'_Of course. He's president of a major company, has tones of money, a huge mansion, and the most advanced technology at his disposal…how could he even think of going without a 'spare' limo?' _Yami thought, mentally rolling his eyes.

None the less, he wasn't about to give up a free ride his favourite CEO had arranged for him. Failing to hold back a smirk, he climbed in, and gave the driver directions.

The drive was pleasantly cool, as the air conditioning blew a light breeze over his face, making him sink back into the comfortable seat. He lazily watched the city drift by through the tinted glass, more than a little tempted to fall asleep, but the thought of Kaiba finding him asleep in HIS limo was plenty of encouragement to keep him awake.

None the less, he allowed himself to close his eyes and think back to yesterday, of spending time with Kaiba, despite the awequard moments and the whole fuss with the hacker, he'd had a really good time, and he wished he could have thanked the CEO properly.

'_Wait.'_

His eyes blinked open as He thought back to his first visit to Kaiba's place, and then to yesterday. Various moments drifted through his mind, trying to put a picture together.

"Driver, would you mind pulling up here for a moment?"

"Is there a problem sir?"

" No, I just need to do something."

The driver complied, and pulled over to the curve. Yami thanked him, saying he'd be back soon, before he headed into a store a few metres down the path. A few minutes later, he came back out, stuffing a small package into his jacket.

"Thank you for being patient, I'm ready to head home now." He spoke as he got back in.

"Very well." The driver replied, and began the car.

Later after he'd been dropped back off home, he quickly put away his belongings, before allowing Yugi to question him about the day, and in return he listened to his hikari tell him all about the afternoon with their friends. Yugi teased that Yami had probably had more fun getting to spend time _'alone' _with Kaiba. Yami rolled his eyes, but played along, saying it had been fun until he was forced to pick up someone else's dirty sports pants, to which his hikari cringed and shivered a little.

Later, after dinner, they spent some time having a few rounds of duel monsters whilst some movie played on the TV that neither paid attention to.

Eventually, Yugi headed upstairs to do his homework, and grudgingly, Yami followed. He gave a weak attempt at a smile to the smaller boy, before closing his bedroom door. He turned the ceiling fan on to a light speed, grabbed his school work, and sat at his desk.

About an hour and ten minutes past, and he had his maths and history work finished, but was struggling to tackle his science homework. He didn't mind the subject, some of the topics they discussed were pretty interesting, but he was willing to say out loud that it was a subject he sucked at.

When he was about halfway through the questions on chemical composition, he grumbled, and shoved it aside for awhile, instead picking up his English assignment yet again, hoping the new information about it may help inspire him.

He stared intently down at the piece of paper for at least ten minutes, his pen resting gently against the first line, ready to write.

But once more, he had to admit defeat, and put it away.

'_I need a break.' _He thought boredly as algebra and the periodic table flew around inside his head, crashing into one another and littering his mind with jumbled numbers and letters.

He stood and stumbled over to his bed, almost tumbled onto the soft mattress, and laid there staring up at the ceiling silently.

"A memory…" He whispered, as his eyes gently slid shut, " Or a dream? What should I use? What would I not regret sharing with everyone?"

For obvious reasons he couldn't use anything from his time as pharaoh, nor could he see it being a good idea to try and share anything about his bond with Yugi.

Besides, that was more personal.

'_What then?'_

Instantly, his thoughts sprang to the dream he'd been having, but reluctantly, he had to dismiss the idea. He didn't properly understand the dream…a requirement of the damn assignment.

There was only one other point in time that stuck out in his mind, and he cringed at the very thought of using any of those memories.

"Kuso…" He muttered, and rolled onto his side, giving up on his thoughts for now.

****

'_Faster! Please feet! Go faster!!'_

_He was out of breath, his entire body aching, but both his mind and heart begged it not to collapse._

"_Give it up pharaoh!! I can see your about to break! No one is going to get in my way this time! Not your hikari, not my hikari, not even that lousy Bakura!!"_

_He looked over his shoulder, instantly regretting it, as his chaser was even closer than he'd expected. _

"_Please…please just leave me alone!!" He cried out desperately, though he already knew the plea would go unheard._

_Many lights illuminated the streets of the night, bringing the city itself to life. And yet it seemed no one else existed. There was not a soul around, not even any parked cars alongside the pathway to hint at the presence of life. _

_He was truly alone._

_Every second…every heartbeat, the figure closed in on him…_

_Tears splashed down his face._

'_Why? Why have things gone this way…?'_

_And then the merciless grip caught the back of his jacket, and yanked him backwards, into the powerful body behind him. He was held against the figure, clearly for the purpose of absorbing the horror, before he cried out as he was thrown down to the hard ground. His head took a painful amount of the impact, and he knew it was bleeding, even if he couldn't see it._

_"Did you think you could deny me!?"_

_The growing pain in his body was only doubled, as he was raised, and slammed into a poll, feeling it bend behind him. His cry of sheer agony stretched all the way down the street, but he expected no one to come to his aid, not this time…_

"_Marikuu…please…don't do this! This isn't fair! I'm begging you!!"_

"_Begging for what!? This!?"_

_He let out another cry, this time of fear, as his stalker's free hand ripped his belt from his waist, and pushed down his pants._

"_NO!!"_

"_You said you're sorry for changing your mind?" Marikuu whispered darkly, his hand moving by his desire under the tight pants, "Let's just see how sorry you really are! Stay perfectly still…do as your told…and I MAY forgive you!"_

_The powerful hand clenched beneath the pants, and a pained cry left the victim teen once more._

"_Yes. Scream for me! That's what I want to hear!" Marikuu added cruelly._

_He clenched his teeth tightly, not wanting to scream, not wanting to cry, and just wanting desperately for this to be over._

"_Did you think that just because that white-haired filth managed to interrupt us last time, and that he pried you from my arms, would stop me from getting what YOU promised!?" The taller man growled as his hand continued to massage the boy's lower area._

"_You MADE me promise!! You said if I loved you, I'd give my entire self to you!! You blackmailed m…AAAH!!"_

_His weak attempt at his own defense was interrupted by the man leaning forward and biting his shoulder hard, drawing blood._

"_Call it what you wish. You made a promise, and I shall see that you fulfill that promise…after all, weither you or anyone else likes it…"_

"_Marikuu…stop…"_

_He could not fight this being, one who had breached his defenses, and could attack him in every way possible. He could not stand against the sheer strength of the man…_

…_The man…he once thought he loved._

"_You…are…mine…"_

_The giant body crushed against him, squeezing out what air remained within his lungs, pinning him against the street sign, so thin, and yet so effective._

_And then it was gone…_

_The pressure was gone. His lungs drank in air as nothing was left to hold him against the sign, and he slipped to the ground. The pain in his head and back made his vision blurry, but as he tilted his head up, rubies could still make out the form of his attacker…_

_Except his back was now to him…_

_And he wasn't alone._

_The cruel face suddenly turned back in his direction. However, it was clear he was no longer looking at Yami, and his body seemed to be following his head…_

_He wasn't turning…he was falling…_

_He hit the ground hard, letting out a grunt of pain. Yami's eyes remained locked to him, struggling to find an answer to what was suddenly happening._

_The answer then came in the form of an arm reaching down to grab Marikuu with as little mercy as Yami himself had just been shown._

_It had taken three people plus the heavy use of shadow magic to hold the man back last time, but that new arm alone was enough to raise up that massive figure, and bring him face to face with the one who had become 'his' attacker._

_Yami felt a new wave of fear, and backed against the poll, as the expression on his would-be saviour's face was nothing short of deadly. Piercing crystals of ice glared at Marikuu with not even a hint of fear._

_How could anyone not be afraid of him?_

_A second hand raised, and this time clenched into a fist, before it smashed into Marikuu's face, somehow harming the seemingly invincible man, who was then thrown against a nearby wall, and when he fell to the ground, he didn't move again._

_As the figure stood over Marikuu's unconscious body, a street light shone down upon him, creating a golden aura around the silhouette of Yami's rescuer._

_The teen wrapped his arms around the poll behind his back, and tried to pull himself up, but he only just made it to his feet when a shock of pain in his no doubtly bruised back caused him to grunt in pain, which in turn signaled his efforts to the other person._

_The figure slowly turned to face him, and Yami felt his breath leave him, as he recognized the face now staring back at him, the eyes unmistakable._

"_Ka…ka…?" He tried speaking, but the attempt only sent him into a coughing fit._

_He kept his head down when he felt the person move towards him. He was ashamed…ashamed that HE would seem him in such a pathetic state._

"_Look at me…" Came a voice quietly…but…was that…? Could that really have been…HIS voice?_

_It was so full of pain…anger that wasn't just aimed at Marikuu, but also at someone or something else…_

_He flinched as he felt a powerful yet cautious grip on either side of his face, which was gently tilted upwards._

_Pain and anguish…fear and uncertainty…_

_Why were such forbidden emotions plaguing the eyes that would never welcome their presence? Why did the small glint of strength he could see, seem so forced?_

'_What's hurting you…?' He wanted to ask, but just couldn't._

_As if the taller boy could hear his thoughts, a weak attempt at his too well known frown appeared, before his face vanished from Yami's sight, just as the ground disappeared from under his feet._

_His legs had been swept up by one of the long arms, the other wrapping around his back._

_He wasn't exactly sure how or why it was happening, but he found himself being carried down the street towards a destination he was unsure of, and yet didn't care to know. One again, he was one of the only two people that even cared to make their existence known to the world, and yet the silence could not penetrate his heart anymore, as the beating of a much stronger heart commanded his attention, each beat sending a wave of calmness through him._

_Knowing he no longer had to run, he surrendered to his body's pain and exhaustion, and drifted from consciousness._

_The next time he opened his eyes, he found himself tucked under crisp, clean sheets in a dark room, what must have been a drip protruding from his arm._

_Close by, he could see the one who had saved him, staring out a window, perhaps admiring the moonless night, as he spoke through a phone. Yami could hear his voice, but was unable to make out any of the words._

_After just a few seconds, the phone was pulled back, and the call ended. Tired rubies watched as the boy seemed to hesitate for a moment, before pressing something else on his phone, before he shoved it away in his pocket._

_The next thing, he looked towards Yami, who tried to smile, and reached a hand out to him, but as if the blue eyed being couldn't see that he was awake, he just turned and headed for the door of the room._

"_Wait…" Yami mumbled, still trying to reach for him._

_He was certain the boy wasn't ignoring him, that he…somehow…really didn't know Yami was awake._

_He watched as something flittered from one of the beautiful sapphires, and lifted up his hand as it unnaturally drifted through the breezeless air towards him. It landed obediently in his palm, which he lowered to find a tiny ice crystal there, beautiful and clear, shaped like the tear it had once been._

"_Wait." He repeated, watching as the tall boy continued towards the door, almost like in slow motion._

"_Why are you crying??" He asked._

_But his voice went as unnoticed as his still reaching arm did. He felt helpless as he could only watch the boy walk out the door._

"_SETO!!!"_

****

Yami's eyes snapped open as he sat straight up.

Panting slightly, he glanced around, calming as the familiar sight of his room soothed him, assuring him that the dream…memory or not…was indeed just a dream. A short glance to his clock showed it was past nine at night. Inhaling deeply, he prepared to lay back down, when his eyes widened in realization.

Faster than he'd ever willingly done so before, he leaped out of bed, and sat at his desk. The lamp clicked into life, and he almost ruined his work book as he wrenched it from his school bag.

****

"Oh yeah! Is there anything better than the weekend!?"

"You've already asked the same thing five times Jounichi, and we've already agreed each time that weekends are fantastic." Anzu answered the hyped-up teenager, bringing him down from his happy cloud, and earning a frown in return.

"Come on guys, weekends are fun, so let's enjoy it whilst we can." Yugi mediated calmly.

Yami smiled proudly around at his Hikari. If the boy was to overcome his shyness, he'd be a great negotiator. But then, Yami would kill anyone who dared to try and take that side of his aibou away. Shyness was a beautiful side of Yugi, and being a little timid at times hardly made him weak. His hikari was one of the strongest people he knew. Others said that Yami had made him stronger whilst they were united in one body, but Yami disagreed. He believed Yugi had always had that strength, he'd merely been in need of a little encouragement to show it.

"Hey Yami? You ok? You look exhausted." Malik quoted.

"Hm? Yes I'm fine, I just stayed up later than usual last night because I finally got an idea for the English assignment." Yami answered.

"Hey! Why is this the first time _I'm _hearing of this!?" Yugi cut in a little defensively.

"Because I thought we were supposed to be _enjoying _our weekend." Yami laughed in return.

He glanced up to the street they were walking down, and smiled slightly.

"Besides…why do you think I was more reluctant to get out of bed than usual this morning?"

"Oh I don't know…" Yugi answered passively, casually walking ahead of him slightly, "…guess I thought you might be having a 'nice' dream."

Their friends stopped and stared in shock at Yugi, who grinned wickedly, and took off down the street.

"YUGI!!" Yami cried loudly, and raced after him.

"Honestly, those to…" Anzu sighed, "…Sometimes they act worse than Honda and Jounichi."

"Oh let them have their fun." Malik chirped and smiled around at them.

His smile was so sweet that Anzu actually blushed for a moment.

"They know where we're meeting, so they'll get there in their own sweet time." Malik finished, and began walking again.

****

The moment they'd gotten around the corner, Yugi and Yami's yelling both changed to loud laughter as they ran down the pathway. Yugi stopped at the next corner and turned, yelping slightly as Yami caught up and grabbed him, hugging him tightly.

The two continued to laugh uncontrollably as the taller of the two quickly pulled the smaller boy behind the wall, holding him tightly. When it seemed it had been long enough, Yami gently covered his hikari's mouth, and bit his lip to control his own laughter.

They both glanced around the corner, watching as their friends past by back up at the other end of the street they'd just run down. Malik, who was now drifting at the back, was the only one to glance in their direction. Yami didn't flinch about them being seen, instead, he just grinned as Malik gave him a wink, and puckered his lips playfully in return, before the sandy haired boy turned and continued after the others.

"You've really got to stop doing that." Yugi chuckled as the others vanished from view.

"Doing what?"

"Flirting with Malik? What else?" Yugi answered, pulling away, "Speaking honestly for a moment, Kaiba might think you more serious if he doesn't see you flirting with other people…even if you and Malik are just messing around."

"That is…actually a fair point hikari." Yami admitted, looking down the road, where between other buildings, he could see Kaiba corp. rising up, proud and dignified.

"Look, don't worry too much about that now. Get going and do whatever you're planning. Just don't disappear for the whole day, you owe your friends some of your time you know." Yugi encouraged playfully.

"Yugi, I'll be lucky if I get five minutes!" Yami laughed, and Yugi quickly joined in.

"Scratch that, you'll be lucky if he lets you in the front gate!"

"Hey, as true as that may be, give me some credit." Yami smirked, and turned away, "Oh, and give my thanks to Malik for helping out would you?"

"Sure. Would you like me to peck him on the cheek? Or give him a nice warm cuddle?" Yugi teased.

"Oh pack it up hikari." Yami shook his head, but still grinned, before running off, his sweet little aibou waving to him.

It wasn't too hard finding his way to Kaiba corp, since it stuck out so easily, so he slowed down to a pleasant walk. Running with Yugi had been fun, but no way was he going faster than a quick walk anymore than he had to!

Fifteen to twenty minutes later, he reached the gates of Kaiba corp., and stared through the iron bars separating him from the building, and the sapphire orbs he really wanted to see, hidden somewhere on one of the top floors no doubt.

His heart quivered anxiously, but he placed his hand over his chest, reassuring it, whilst also checking that a certain item was still hidden beneath his jacket.

Satisfied, he looked around, and rang a small bell on an intercom. He only had to wait a short time before a female voice answered promptly.

"_Welcome to Kaiba Corporation. How may I be of assistance?"_

"I wish to speak to Mr. Kaiba if I may." Yami answered confidently.

He wasn't surprised that there was a short pause from the intercom.

"_May I ask your name sir?"_

"It's Yami Mutou Ma'am. I understand your president is probably very busy, but could you please inform him I'm here? I don't have an appointment, but I don't intend to take up much of his time."

"_I'll…I'll see what I can do sir, please hold for a moment." _

"Thank you." Yami finished, and stepped away from the intercom, waiting patiently to be given the verdict. He had to be grateful that patience was one of his strong points, as it took a few minutes before he received a very abrupt answer through the intercom.

"_What do you want!?"_

'_Oh shit…he's in a bad mood.' _Yami thought, and would have smirked, if he hadn't spotted a surveillance camera targeting him in the nick of time.

"Kaiba, I need to have a word with you." He answered firmly, pressing the intercom, but stared right into the lens of the camera, knowing that Kaiba was watching him from somewhere in the massive building.

"_You're interrupting me in the middle of a work day just because you want a chat!?"_

"It's the weekend Kaiba."

"_Perhaps for you, but talk to any other CEO and they'll probably ask what the hell a weekend is! I have a job to get done Mutou!"_

"Then hurry up and spare me five minutes, because I also have prior arrangements to get back to!"

Egos rose to challenge one another.

"_Don't presume you can just come over here whenever the hell you feel like it pharaoh!"_

"I don't presume anything kaiba! I'm ASKING!!" Yami growled, angry but far from giving up, "I have something to say to you, and as simple or pathetic or whatever it is, I am asking for just five damn minutes so that I can say it to YOUR FACE!"

The short but fierce argument ended then, silence restraining the rivals for the time, though the chain was weak, and would snap easily.

Yami just kept his eyes on the camera, knowing Kaiba was glaring right back, and weither or not it was the time for it, he could feel his heart swelling. It sounded strange to even him, but he loved these tense arguments, they weren't real fights, merely another type of challenge between the two of them.

A creaking made him look around, and he saw the gates opening.

"_Your time starts now Mutou, so I'd move it if I were you!"_ Kaiba growled, before silence fell once more.

With a swift glance to the camera, Yami strolled through the gates, and headed towards the building's entrance, smirking the instant he knew the camera could no longer see him.

'_Hope Yugi will forgive me if I don't make it out of this in one piece.' _He thought with a laugh.

****

_yay! done!!..........why the heck can't I write a short chapter!? '_

_please be honest.....was that part between Yami and Yugi at the beginning too ooc?....I wasn't certain....but I just couldn't resist putting it in...._

_Reviews will be loved! *pulls out a basket of anime plushies that she got from.....who knows where!?*_


	10. Chapter 10

_*tire screech!*_

_Ok! I thought I'd never get this posted!_

_really sorry everyone! I have no good excuse....except for last night when the website wouldn't let me upload it for some reason...-_-' (seriously, no matter how many timesI tried!)_

_ok, well I won't waste more time yapping, please enjoy._

_disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of it's characters....however, Yami's poem in this belongs to me._

_Chapter 10:_

After receiving directions and a visitor's badge, Yami stepped into the lobby's elevator, giving a quick smile back to the girl at reception. She still looked a bit nervous about directing him to Kaiba's office, even though the CEO himself had ordered it.

It was a long way up, but Yami told himself to just be grateful that no one else tried to get on the same elevator, and eat up even more of his quickly fading time.

Finally the doors opened, granting access to the top floor.

"Turn right once you get off the elevator…take the second left…go all the way to the end…turn left, and it's the first door on the right." He repeated the directions quietly to himself, making sure to follow each step carefully, until he came to a door upon which he read;

_Chief Executive Officer_

'_Hm? First door on the right hey? Wouldn't it have been easier to say 'only' door on the right?'_ He thought in amusement as he took note that there were no other doors on the right wall.

Naturally, he didn't dare say it out loud. He didn't trust Kaiba not to have some way of hearing him right outside his office.

'_After all…I'm the one who entered the dragon's lair…'_

With only a moment's pause, he knocked lightly.

"ENTER!!"

'_Whoa, he really is pissed!'_

He could resist laughing alright, but it was almost mission impossible not to grin at the tone that would usually send grown men running away screaming.

He was careful to make sure his face was calm and straight before he opened the door.

As expected, Kaiba's office was just as big and impressive as any of the big company offices that one might see in a movie or something.

Kaiba himself fitted perfectly into the scenery where he sat behind a polished wood desk, typing away furiously at the computer.

He didn't acknowledge Yami's presence until the teen entered and closed the door, and even then it was nothing more than a swift glance upwards.

Yami moved closer to the desk, more nervous about Kaiba having the field advantage than of the CEO himself. Kaiba knew everything about this building, and everyone in it answered to him over anyone else. He was in total control.

Yami almost frowned and mentally smacked whatever part of his mind it was than actually saw that fact as kind of a turn on.

"Thank you for the time Kaiba." He spoke calmly.

"Your point Mutou!?" Came the sharp answer, the sapphires not moving from the screen they were focused on.

It cut at Yami's pride a little, but he forbid himself from striking in retaliation. It annoyed him that Kaiba couldn't even stop working for thirty seconds and look at him.

In fact, it annoyed him too much.

His mouth clenched shut…his feet planted themselves to the ground…and his eyes locked onto Kaiba, not shifting.

Perhaps this wasn't the wisest way to act right now, but since when _didn't_ he take risks? Besides, he wasn't always going to be the one to swallow his pride!

It didn't take long for the silence to get to the already impatient CEO, whose hands suddenly came to a halt in such a way that anyone else might tremble, but Yami didn't even flinch as Kaiba glared up at him.

"I don't have time for games today pharaoh!" He warned.

"Then don't force me to play them!" Yami quickly responded in the same tone.

"Your point!?" Kaiba demanded after a moment, sounding like he was forcing himself to calm down.

Yami decided to rein in his anger as well. There was no need for it here.

He took a few steps closer to the desk, enough that he could reach out and place the small box he's just pulled from his jacket upon it. It was just a simple white rectangle with a thin yellow ribbon that served more to keep the lid on than it did as decoration.

Kaiba stared at the box, his eyes quickly shifting back to Yami. Despite the 'are you serious?' look in his eyes, the CEO remained silent, obviously after an explanation.

"Consider it my 'official' thank you." Yami answered, pushing the box just a bit closer to the CEO, though not making it look subtle, before withdrawing his hand, "Or perhaps an apology that my last show of gratitude was so weak. You decide."

Yami kept his tone calm and steady. It felt…weird…to be doing this…despite how it may have seemed, he wasn't actually after brownie points with Seto.

Though doubtful, he kinda hoped the CEO would understand that.

Kaiba looked back down to the box, staring silently at it for some time, and for a moment, Yami wondered if he was actually afraid to open it.

'_Hm. Afraid might be too strong. Cautious perhaps would be better…'_

Kaiba breathed out heavily through his nose, as he finally picked up the box, pulling off the yellow ribbon with more care than Yami expected, and lifted the lid.

His heart stopped for a split second as Kaiba's eyes gazed inside the box, before giving a hard, painful pound, trying to make him stumble and loose his strength before the CEO, but he refused to let that happen.

Kaiba's only reaction was silence for quite some time. Yami just watched him in return, also not speaking, even as the brunette finally placed the box back on his desk, where Yami could see the tiny parcels wrapped in gold, only six of them, sitting upon ruffled silver paper.

If he didn't require the rest time that weekends provided to prevent himself going insane, Yami was almost willing to give up the rest of his two days off just to know what was really going on in Kaiba's mind, the sapphire eyes hiding all truth behind an impenetrable icy shield.

"Is that all Mutou?" Kaiba suddenly asked, his tone sparing some patience, but making it clear that Yami shouldn't push his luck.

"Yes. That is all." Yami concluded, luckily not having any desire to push his luck, "Thank you once more Kaiba." He repeated, turning around.

He made his way back to the door at a casual pace, not looking around. He didn't hesitate to open the door, and walk out, shutting it gently behind him.

The CEO stared after him for awhile, before glancing almost carefully back to the box, staring at the little golden wrapped chocolates. Glaring furiously, his large hand reached in and grabbed one of the tiny morsels, stripping it of its fancy wrapping to uncover a simple but lovely looking piece of dark chocolate.

He frowned, as if angry he would even consider trying something from his rival, but finally, raised it to his lips, and gently bit it in half.

He gave it no real thought…at least for a few seconds…

Kaiba's eyes lit up for a moment, before his calm look returned, and he raised his free hand, carefully wiping his thumb over his bottom lip, and looked to it.

The tiniest trickle of sweet, golden caramel weakly glued itself to his skin, as if wanting him to smudge some important document with it.

Yet again, he stared silently at the gift in his hand, but again, it wasn't the chocolate itself that made him curious, but the meaning behind it.

"Hmph."

A small amused smirk grew upon his face, as he glanced calmly to the door, before stuffing the other half of the chocolate in his mouth, and wiping the caramel off his thumb with a tissue. He returned his focus to the computer screen; his hands moving like nothing had interrupted their professional rhythm.

****

Outside the door, Yami leant back against the wall, listening with such focus that if someone else had come down the hall, he would never have heard or seen them coming.

A quiet sound caught his attention, the very sound he'd been waiting for.

A sound that announced amusement, a hairline crack in his favourite CEO'S cool and collected armor.

He gave a smirk of his own, announcing his small but oh so satisfying victory, and pushed off the wall. Without glancing back, he moved away down the hall, content for the time being.

He made his way back towards the elevator, almost retracing every step. When the metal doors opened after at least a minute's wait, he stepped in, his mind trying to create the excuse he'd forgotten he needed for his friends, since only Yugi knew where he'd gone. Malik had been glad to help without even being told what was going on.

"Hold the elevator please!"

Yami glanced over his shoulder, surprised as Mokuba came running down the hall. Good thing his hand acted instinctively, and held the door open, since his mind had lost focus for a moment. He adored Mokuba, but hadn't expected to see him here.

The raven haired boy didn't recognize Yami until he stepped into the elevator.

"Yami??"

"We mustn't keep running into each other like this." The teen couldn't help but chuckle, letting his hand drop, allowing the doors to close.

"What are you doing here?" Mokuba asked with a casual grin as the elevator began the long descent.

"I needed a quick word with the president. Now I'm heading back into the city to see my friends." Yami answered.

"Cool! Lucky!" Mokuba replied with a playful hint of envy, "I wanna go somewhere to. I've done all my weekend homework already, but Niisan is swamped with work today, and I'm uber bored."

Yami fell silent in thought for a moment.

"Well, granted it's alright with your brother, you're welcome to join my friends and I."

"Really!?" Mokuba looked up in amazement.

"You are our friend as well, are you not?" Yami answered, smiling properly.

Mokuba really was good at reminding him of Yugi sometimes.

"Thanks so much Yami!" Mokuba cheered, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet, before quickly stepping over to the level buttons on the door, "I'll stop at our private lounge, and use the phone there to call Niisan! I wanna grab something I left in that room anyway!"

"You…have a private lounge room…in the kaiba corp. building??" Yami had to ask.

"Well, yeah, but I use it more than Niisan. I stay in there a lot during the day when he's working. It's got everything you'd need of course. TV, games, a fridge, bathroom, heck, there's even a bedroom if you want to take a nap!"

The silence from Yami made Mokuba frown a little.

"Hey, don't think my brother is being selfish. All the staff have two very nice large staff rooms to! they were practically the same as ours! Niisan only took away the TV and bed because people kept coming back to work late!"

A burst of laughter from Yami echoed in the elevator.

"Hey! It's not funny!" Mokuba said defensively.

"Sorry Mokuba, I meant no offense." Yami replied, forcing the chuckles to stop, "I wasn't laughing at your brother, merely the thought of the worker's faces when TV and nap time was cancelled."

Mokuba's eyes widened slightly in surprise, before his cheeks puffed slightly in a way that Yami had seen too many times on Yugi not to understand.

And there was no way he could resist taking advantage of it!

Quick as ever, he tickled Mokuba's sides, making the small boy burst into laughter and squirm, trying to get free.

"No fair! No fair!!" He yelled, both trying to push Yami off, and tickle him back.

The older boy just smirked, and let him go after a short moment. Mokuba turned and pouted at him a little, but it soon became a grin again.

The elevator seemed to have great timing, as it stopped just then, and the doors opened.

"Come on in!" Mokuba invited, as he stepped out into a very short hallway that lead into a large, beautiful room. The carpet was a deep, lovely royal blue. Just inside the entrance was a bathroom almost blinding cause everything was so white. From where Yami stood, he could see a black leather couch, but not what else was around the corner.

"Mokuba…I…I don't believe I should…" He began, his feet refusing to move.

"Oh don't worry! Niisan won't know you were in here! Besides, we're only going to be a second!" Mokuba cut in, grabbing Yami's arm and dragging him right into the apartment sized place.

Around the corner the floor dropped a little where the lounge area was. There was two black leather lounges that sat across from a massive flat screen TV. A small coffee table sat just before the lounges.

Back on the other side of the room was a small kitchen, the benches made of white marble.

There was a room just past the lounge area that Yami had to guess was the bedroom he'd heard about, but wasn't willing to go see.

"Make yourself at home, I'll be right back!" Mokuba told him, before running off to the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

Yami went to say something, but shut his mouth, telling himself to calm down.

It would be fine. They wouldn't be in here long, and it wasn't that big of a deal as long as he behaved.

He made his way over to the back wall, which was entirely glass windows, giving a brilliant view of Domino city below. Sure cities weren't necessarily scenic, but he still had to be a little envious of Kaiba for getting to see such a view.

"Hey Niisan!"

Yami leaped around in shock, staring towards the bedroom, expecting to see Kaiba standing there like he'd just materialized out of air.

"Sorry to bother you Niisan, I know your busy, I just wanted to ask if I could go out with Yami and his friends today? Please Niisan? No no, he said it was fine as long as you were ok about it."

Yami's panic faded, as he just stared at the bedroom door, before giving a grunt of realization, and slapping his forehead. Mokuba had said he would 'call' Seto; obviously there was a phone in the bedroom.

"Really!? Thank you Niisan! And don't worry, I promise I'll be home before dark and everything! Thank you!"

What the…?

Did Kaiba just give him permission? Without a huge fuss?

The room was quiet for a moment, before Mokuba bounced out the door, grinning widely at Yami.

"Niisan is cool with it, as long as I stay with you guys, and don't get home late!"

Yami felt a little dumbfounded, but finally managed to smile.

"I've very glad of that Mokuba. Now come, we'd best get going. Yugi and the others will be wondering where I am by now."

"Sure! Just give me a moment!"

Yami watched as the smaller boy ran over to one of the couches, where he just now noticed a small red bag sitting on the ground.

"Niisan always has me bring any homework I have here. I gotta say, its kinda relaxing studying here, I don't mind it so much. I think maybe it's because when I'm at home…" Mokuba spoke.

"…You just feel like relaxing?" Yami finished for him.

Mokuba grinned in agreement, before finding what he was after in the bag, and ran back to Yami.

"Ok, ready!"

The smaller boy practically took the lead, being the first in and out of the elevator, and the first to get out of the doors after they walked back through reception.

Curiosity nudged at Yami as to what Mokuba and retrieved from his bag, but it wasn't until they left the Kaiba corp. grounds all together, that Mokuba finally turned and held the small item out to him.

"Don't tell anyone about this, ok Yami?" He whispered.

Yami just stared down at the cassette tape, taking a few moments to register what it meant.

"Mokuba?? Is this that…?"

"This is a copy I made for you, since I saw how much you seemed to love it." Mokuba answered, and placed it in one of Yami's hands.

"Mokuba, I...I appreciate it very much. But…your brother seemed unhappy enough that I heard this music in the first place."

"Then just don't tell anyone about it!" Mokuba laughed, and darted off down the pathway before Yami could even try and hand it back.

The ruby-eyed teen just stood there helplessly, looking to the cassette, knowing full well he should give it back…

But the beautiful music was taunting his memories ruthlessly, and he had to concede, and buried the cassette in his pocket, before charging off after Mokuba.

****

Up in his office, Kaiba's experienced focus hadn't faltered or paused the entire time. Phone calls and messages were just normal beats in the rhythm of work.

Even reaching for his mug of coffee was something that barely received any thought.

However, today something dared to ruin the calm rhythm. The gentlest nudge against his finger as it touched something that wasn't normally there.

The piercing gems of blue glanced around; it seemed his finger had knocked the small chocolate box Yami had given him.

He'd almost forgotten about it.

After a few seconds, he made a quiet sound, almost like saying _'why not?' _and reached into the box, grasping one of the chocolates.

As he went to raise his hand again though, he quickly stopped.

Something had looped around his finger, what appeared to be the tiniest silver chain.

Letting the golden wrapped sweet drop back into the box, he carefully raised his hand, the silver paper in the box russelling as something on the end of the chain was revealed.

He pulled it up into his palm, and just stared…as if unsure what to do…at a small, plastic figure of a blue eyes white dragon.

****

The day had been great. A perfect start of the weekend in Yami's opinion.

The group had welcomed Mokuba, as they did everything fun they could thing of and afford. Even when it finally came to an end, he wasn't disappointed; he'd had a good time. They dropped Mokuba back outside the Kaiba corp. gates, before once more, separating to go their own ways.

Thankfully, no one asked about Yami's disappearance, and now at home, he and Yugi could laugh and joke about it as much as they liked.

As if they hadn't played enough at the arcade, they were playing video games together.

"Yami that wasn't fair!!"

"What wasn't fair??"

"You shot me in the back! We're supposed to be on a team!"

"If we weren't meant to shoot each other, the game would prevent it. Besides, you were heading towards MY prize, I claimed it first!"

"It belongs to whoever gets to it first!"

"And thus I shot you to get to it first."

"You jerk! Stop grinning!!"

"Why? Do you want me to tickle you instead?"

"Don't start flirting with me! I'm not Malik!"

"No, but your pouty face is even cuter than his."

"That's it!"

"WHOA!"

Game controllers and cushions went flying as Yugi leapt from the floor onto his dark half, and the two began to wrestle. Yami may have been stronger, but Yugi was very good at slipping out of his grip if he wasn't pinned.

"Yami!"

They were quickly interrupted by Sugoroku, who came into the room, handing Yami the phone, not seeming at all bothered by the minor fight that had just been taking place. This was hardly the first time.

Yami pulled himself off the ground, fixing up his clothes before he placed the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Unless you want others to hear this, get in a room on your own!"

Yami could have swore at the voice speaking to him.

Kaiba?? Kaiba was…calling _him?_

He looked startled around at Yugi, who gave a questioning look, but Yami gave an indication for him to wait for a moment, and left the room, heading up stairs to his room before he finally answered.

"What have you called for Kaiba?"

"To ask if you invited my brother out with you today?" Kaiba grunted, getting straight to the point.

Yami just stared blankly at the ground for a moment.

"Yes. I did. But you already knew that."

"And just why did you think it was fine to do so without asking my permission Mutou!?"

"Kaiba what are you saying? Mokuba asked your permission and you said it was fine!" Yami answered, letting his temper rise just enough to match Kaiba's.

"Oh did he?"

The suddenly drop in Kaiba's tone chilled Yami, and shocked filled him as he suddenly understood what was going on.

"He…he didn't…?" He stuttered out.

He'd thought he'd heard Mokuba talking to Seto over the phone asking permission to go, but…he hadn't actually watched him do so.

'_Did Mokuba just pretend?? So I would think Seto was alright with him going out? Because he knew I would say no if his brother didn't allow it?? But…why…??'_

"If you want permission to take my brother anywhere, then in the future, get permission from me directly!!"

Yami heard the phone slam down on the other end, but just left the phone at his ear, the dial tone ringing loudly.

When he managed to glance up, he saw Yugi peeping in his door at him, and lowered the phone, turning it off. Yugi was instantly by his side.

"Yami?"

"I think I just got Mokuba and myself in hot water." Yami muttered, and sat on his bed, holding his head in his palm.

So much for a great ending to the day.

****

Sunday passed by quietly as homework, a quick trip down the road to get some chips, and sitting at home watching a couple of movies. Monday kept its reputation of being long, dreary and just plain boring until the freedom of home time finally arrived, only to be spoiled by the reminder of more homework.

However, Tuesday was neither calm nor average.

'_Good luck everyone' _Anzu had said to all of them, before heading off to English with Yugi and Ryou.

As Yami glanced around his own class, he could see everyone was finally taking this English assignment seriously. And he was no exception. Likely, the nervous vibrations in the air were caused by the realization that each of them were about to stand alone in front of each other, and speak out loud, even though they'd known it all along.

"Wonder how Otogi is going?" He heard Honda mutter somewhere from the back.

"Poor sucker has none of us in his class does he?" Jounichi muttered back.

Yami almost envied Otogi for that fact, at least for this one time anyway. Apparently his English class was the same level as theirs, but he was still away from them.

"Alright everyone! Be seated!"

Almost everyone flinched at the teacher's command.

Though perhaps a little unnecessary, Yami wouldn't blame them for it. He glanced down to the workbook on his desk, just peeping out the top, he could see the piece of hidden paper upon which his own poem was, protected from any eyes that may wander past. No one was going to know its contents until he read it to them.

"Well, since you all seem so eager to get started on hearing each other's creative abilities, why don't we go ahead and get started? We can do that and check the roll call at the same time. What an excellent way to see which of you is skipping my class today."

Judging from his tone, the teacher was no more thrilled about this than the rest of them.

"Right then, Araisan, will you kindly share your poem with us?"

****

The wait was excruciating, but so was the fear that it would end.

It was impossible not to count each name as it was called out, or how many were left until each student had to take their turn. Each of them knew where they came on the list by now, so none escaped the torture.

And yet, the sentence always caught each of them off guard.

"Mutou, please step up."

Rubies looked up to the front where the teacher stood waiting, firm looking eyes behind square glasses confirming that it was time.

Yami breathed in, and slipped the paper out from his work book, clutching it to his chest as he stood, and made his way to the front. His face and stride were as strong and confident as always, but he had to wonder, could anyone see that he shared the same uncertainty as they did?

As he turned back around, their faces spelt out a great big no. Even Honda, Jounichi, Bakura and Malik…not even his friends could see past his mask.

"The most Painful of All" He read aloud.

To no surprise at all, the title of his poem caught everyone's attention. They had all chosen happy stories, ones with fairytale endings.

His was bittersweet.

Even though they were all ready to give their attention to him, to listen fully, the feeling that he'd made a mistake sunk in.

His fingers clenched on the paper. He had no confidence to share this with them. It was something not even his precious Yugi knew. Only one other knew that this memory existed to him, and it was that person alone he wanted to say it to.

'_Seto…' _

He looked up past the students to the back wall, remembering when Kaiba had stood there to watch a movie with his class. Kaiba, the one person he could stand strong in front of. Someone who gave him strength without even intending to…

Yami's eyes narrowed. He could see Kaiba there, watching him, waiting for him to speak, just waiting to hear what he said.

To Yami, his response wasn't as important as just having the CEO listen to him.

It was him he was saying this to, no one else…

"Silence is my enemy…

And yet here I am,

Deprived of music,

The drumming within my

Chest a traitorous sound."

"Is my name the key

To my rightful place

In this world?

Must I obey and be

Swept up by the darkness

Swallowing my own shadow?"

"Why can I not escape?

Why does my heart bring

Everything I am crashing

Down to rubble?"

"My voice does not exist

Within darkness,

And my body is just a

Broken corpse shattered

By its unrelenting grasp."

"The night is impartial,

So why must _this_ darkness

Try to take what I am?

What is mine?

How is it that anything

Can stand to its strength?

Why are _you _not afraid

To save me…?"

"Your purposes are unknown to me,

But yet I only care

That you can see me.

It both comforts

And pains me.

You must hate to see

Such weakness.

Standing on my own feet

Before you, is the

Promise I never

Realized I'd made."

"Are you not angry?

Your acting like you

Don't care…

You sweep up my

Shattered soul,

And carry it with you,

As if I were

A precious diamond."

"But that cannot be.

Diamonds don't shatter

The way I have.

But then, if diamonds

Don't break, why do

I see cracks upon you?

What has the strength

To break adamant stones?"

"This bittersweet gem

Within my hand,

A mere fragment of

Your reflection…

…a reflection you hide.

You stand before the mirror,

Shielding the truth

From all who dare

Try to look."

"Please tell me…

Why do you block out

My voice?

Why is this the last

Time you intend to

Let the truth show?

Please tell me…

Why are you crying?"

As if coming out of a trance, kaiba's image disappeared from Yami's vision, and he slowly sank back into reality, turning his gaze to the class he'd almost forgotten was there.

They were just staring at him in bewilderment. Even Bakura was staring at him, sharing the same confusion and curiosity as the rest of them.

"W…well done Mutousan." The teacher managed to speak, "A-and now, could you please explain to us what your poem was about?"

Yami gave a calm smirk.

"Someone saved my life one time, and I never really got to say thank you to them." He answered calmly, and placed the poem on the pile on the teacher's desk, before casually walking back to his own, not meeting anyone's eyes as he sat back down.

The teacher seemed to snap out of it then, and cleared his throat loudly.

"Right. Well, back to it. Nakamura, you're up next please."

****

"I can't believe my eyes!"

Yami glanced up from his work book.

"What?"

"Your actually in here studying?? During lunch!?"

Yami glanced at Yugi, who was peering over his shoulder.

"It would be nice to get home without having to worry about homework for once. So I figured I'd get what I could done here."

He looked back to his book, but soon looked back when Yugi didn't answer. He was surprised by the small frown on the boy's face.

"Who are you, and what have you done with Yami?" He demanded.

Yami smirked and rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he packed his stuff away and stood. Yugi followed him to the reception in the library, where he hired out a few books, and they left together.

"Seriously Yami, what's going on? You seem…calmer…I mean more than even this morning." Yugi persisted a little.

He watched as Yami took a second to word his answer.

"I just feel…almost like…a weight has been lifted...well, perhaps not the whole weight, but part of it. Its lighter now."

"What kind of weight?" Yugi asked, hearing the seriousness in Yami's voice.

"To be honest, I'm not even sure. I didn't realize I was carrying it until…" His eyebrows furrowed a little, "…until after I read my poem…"

"Your poem? Just what did you write about? I heard people talking about it being 'dark' or something…"

"Just a memory Aibou. Perhaps what I needed was to say it out loud, maybe that's why I feel better…"

"Yami…"

The taller boy quickly wrapped his arm around the smaller boy's neck gently, pulling him in close.

"It's nothing to be worried about Aibou, so please don't fret."

Yugi pouted a little, but then shrugged and relaxed.

As they wandered down the hall, they noticed a large group of students gathered around the notice board.

"Is there something we should know about?" Yami asked casually, dropping his arm from Yugi.

"Maybe they've finally assigned dorm rooms for the trip to the beach?" Yugi suggested.

"Perhaps. I'm still not sure about sharing a dorm room with our friends though…"

"And just what's wrong with our friends??"

"You don't recall the time you invited them all to sleep over?"

"I recall being out cold that night. What did I miss exactly?"

"Jou and Honda staying up half the night playing video games, then wrestling whenever one of them lost...Anzu yelling at them every five minutes to be quiet...Ryou and Bakura bickering about some small, trivial matter that they made to sound worse than it was because they were tired...and Malik thinking it hilarious to poke me every time I closed my eyes."

"...Yep. I was definitely out of it."

"Indeed you were. You left me to defend myself." Yami said with a slight grin.

"No wonder you were so grumpy the next morning." Yugi grinned back.

They joined the crowd, quickly locating Anzu amongst the students.

"Hey guys." She greeted them.

"Hey Anzu. What's all the fuss about." Yugi replied.

"The English teachers have put their favourite poems from each class on the notice board. There's some pretty good work to."

"Cool! They've already finished marking them?" Yugi cheered, "Is yours up there Anzu? It was pretty good."

"No, I'm not that lucky. I don't think they've finished marking everyone's work, just those they enjoyed the most when we read them out. Actually, I don't think any of ours our up there, not even Ryou's, and everyone knows how well he does at English."

"Yeah, but he told me even he had trouble with this assignment." Yugi admitted, "Wait! What about Kaiba's? I mean it's no surprise his was awesome...really dark and kinda creepy...but still impressive."

"No, not even Kaiba's was up there." Anzu answered, "I heard yours was good Yami, but it's not there either."

Despite her words, Yami felt a sudden sense of dread that his poem would be up in plain view for everyone to see. He hadn't planned on it going any further than the classroom!

He pushed past the other students until he could see the poems pinned on the wall. A few he recognized from his class, others he didn't. His eyes thoroughly scanned each piece of paper, and he barely breathed until he knew for sure his wasn't there.

"Yami? You alright.?" Anzu asked as she and Yugi managed to get through the crowd.

"Yes. Yes I'm fine." He answered, taking a few seconds to look away from the poems back to his friends.

"Hey! Yugi!"

The three looked around to see Malik and Ryou waving to them from a few metres away.

"Oops! I forgot I was going to duel with Ryou!" Yugi gasped with a laugh, "You two want to come watch?"

"Sure." Anzu answered.

"Go ahead hikari, I just want to buy a drink. I'll catch up with you afterwards."

"Actually, I'm a little thirsty as well. Can I also meet with you later Yugi?" Anzu changed her mind.

"No problem. Don't take too long you two." Yugi answered, and waved as he left with Ryou and Malik.

Yami and Anzu smiled to one another, and headed to the cafeteria.

"How do you think you went on the assignment Yami?" Anzu asked once they got there.

"Hmm. Hard to say, but I believe I did reasonably well." Yami answered as he ordered a bottle of orange juice.

"What was your topic about?"

It had been clear from the start that Anzu had wanted some time to talk with him, but Yami didn't mind. As she was _usually_ one of the calmer, more mature of his friends, she could actually be quite pleasant to talk to sometimes.

"Just an old memory." He answered as she got an ice coffee.

"Same. I wrote about the time I went with my family to see a ballet show when I was a little girl. I remember I was entranced by it. It's what first made me want to become a dancer."

"You've really had your dream for so long?" Yami looked to her, giving an impressed smile.

"Uh huh." Anzu answered, returning the smile as they headed back out into the hallway, "So...what memory did you use?"

Yami's own smile faded a bit.

Was she being kind of persistent? Or was that just him?

"Not a...pleasant one, not one I really want to think too much about..." He replied hesitantly.

"Was it...about him...?" Anzu continued, lowering her voice.

Yami glanced away uncomfortably. Anzu wasn't usually the type to push a topic if she knew someone didn't want to discuss it.

"Sort of..." He blurted out uncharacteristically, not knowing what else to say.

"Yami, why would you write about him??"

"It wasn't about him! I-I just..." Yami hadn't intended to shout, so quickly took a deep breath, trying to settle down, " I'm sorry Anzu, it's not something I wish to discuss."

"In general, or with me?"

Yami was shocked by the bitterness in the girl's voice, and stopped to look around at her.

"If I were Yugi, you'd be fine about talking about it!" Anzu continued, anger appearing in her eyes from...who knows where?

"Don't you dare bring my hikari into this!" He shouted defensively, his own eyes burning with anger.

He wasn't sorry for the threat, but the way the girl flinched back made him reign in his temper...a little...

"Anzu, where is this even coming from?" He asked once he was able to keep his voice low.

The girl didn't answer immediately, but Yami quickly saw the pain that appeared in her eyes...pain he was all too familiar with.

"Who were you spilling your heart to...?"

Yami wasn't sure how to answer her whisper.

"...when...?"

"In your poem!?"

The bright rubies widened.

"You read my poem!? How!?"

"Because it _was _up on the notice board earlier." She answered, " Yours was one of the teacher's favourites! I went to the bathroom, but when I came back, it was gone!"

Yami was silent for a moment out of surprise that his poem had done that well, but quickly brought his mind back to the topic at hand.

"It's merely an old memory..." He repeated, about to start walking away again, when he paused and looked back around at her, "...one even Yugi doesn't know!"

"Well you were talking to someone who wasn't Marikku!" Anzu stated, before her voice lowered, " I'm not foolish Yami...I know you like someone."

Shock flashed over Yami's face.

"So who is it? Another male?"

"And so what if it is!?" Yami growled, deciding not to restrain himself this time.

"Is it Malik?? Or maybe Bakura? You two have been closer than usual lately..."

"First you dare involve Yugi, now your Bringing Malik and Bakura into this!? This is between you and me alone Anzu!"

"Just tell me the name Yami! That's all I want know!"

"Why!? So you can go and harass them instead!? Even if I had the right to tell you, I wouldn't!"

"What do you mean you don't have the right!?"

Yami looked to the ground, his eyes falling into shadows.

"Because there's nothing official between us. It doesn't matter how I feel...not when I have no clue how they feel about me..."

He stared back up at her firmly.

"And I will not willingly cause them trouble!"

There was a short, heavily tense silence between them.

"Do you love this guy?" Anzu finally whispered.

Again Yami turned his back on her.

"No...No I don't love him..."

It really hurt to say it, but he wasn't going to lie to himself about it.

"I do, however, honestly like him. Alot. If given the chance, I would truly like to try having something serious with him. I don't know if it would even work out, I don't know yet if my feelings run deep enough for something good to come out of it. But, I want to try, I want to know. I...I haven't felt so drawn to a person for a long time..."

He was cut off and stumbled forward a bit as Anzu ran past, knocking him slightly. He watched her go, unable to help feeling guilty as he heard her crying, but as a friend, he knew it would be worse if he lied about how he felt.

Besides, right now he was angry that he'd practically been forced to spill his personal feelings to someone who wouldn't respect them!

He jumped slightly as something drifted past his ear, and was quite puzzled when he saw it was a paper airplane, drifting so carefree despite the lack of a breeze in the hallway.

As it began to lose altitude, he raised his palms and gently caught it, careful not to damage it in anyway. As he looked over the perfect little plane, he noticed there was writing on it. He hated to destroy the simple creation, but some of the words he could see were looking awfully familiar.

He hadn't even finished unfolding it, when he found his poem sitting in his hands. There was no mistake, it was his hand writing.

His head instinctively turned to look around the hallway, and his gaze came to rest upon the figure leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest.

"Kaiba?"

The brunette just closed his eyes and turned away, letting his arms drop as he disappeared around the corner.

"Kaiba!"

Yami waited only a second to go after him. It didn't take long to catch up, though the CEO only stopped when Yami boldly reached out and took hold of his arm.

Neither spoke a word at first, the contact leaving neither afraid, but both uncertain.

"Kaiba, did you read this?" He finally asked.  
"Should I have?" Seto answered blankly, pulling his arm free.

"Hm. No" Yami replied, glancing down, "But why did you have it?"

"I bother to grab your poem off the notice board whilst I'm grabbing my own, and you throw accusations at me when I come to return it to you?"

Yami looked back to him in confusion.

"Why would you?"

He made sure it didn't sound like an accusation this time, just a normal question.

"Would you prefer it was still up there for everyone to see!?" Kaiba answered harshly.

Yami frowned slightly, but didn't feel anger towards the sarcastic remark. Quite the opposite. Something that didn't seem quite right in the CEO'S tone made him curious.

"Kaiba...why don't you say what you mean?" He requested softly.

Kaiba shifted slightly, but didn't speak, and Yami knew that question had caught him off guard.

"You tell me not to beat around the bush Kaiba. I'm only asking the same of you."

"And just what exactly are you expecting to hear?" Kaiba bit back.

"I don't know. That's why I'm asking."

"Hmph. You actually think I'm trying to give you some secret message?" Kaiba's usual smirk returned, "Please. Your too hopeful pharaoh, just like your friend Anzu."

As the CEO began walking, Yami felt his stomach boil, and walked after him.

"Don't speak of her in that way Kaiba! Even if she makes me angry, it hurts every time I have these ridiculous arguments with her!"

He knew Kaiba had said that as an intentional attack on his ego, but he'd take the blow anyway to defend his friends.

"Aaw, poor pharaoh." Seto mocked cruelly, "Despite all that pain, you still managed to do such a great job on your little speech."

There'd been no doubt in Yami's mind that Seto had overheard the fight between himself and Anzu, and that upset him just as much. Not only had Anzu found out his true feelings, but now Seto to? Over hearing it like that was the last way he'd wanted him to find out!

"That's enough Kaiba!"

The CEO stopped, his smirk fading when he heard Yami's temper flare.

"Do you honestly think that was just some fancy speech to make Anzu back off!? If I had wanted to, I could have easily said anyone else's name, and her attention would have been diverted. But I can't lie to myself about how I feel Kaiba. Everything I said was true, and weither you want to laugh about it...weither or not you're just playing a game, or you think this is one great big joke...I assure you...I DON'T!"

The CEO just stared at him.

"If this really _is_ just a joke, then hurry up and say so! I would rather be told you're not interested in me if it was the truth, than have you toying with my feelings!"

His emotions over worked, he gave a frustrated grunt, and looked away from the taunting sapphires as he walked past Seto.

_'If I didn't have Yugi's reaction to worry about, I think I'd just forget the rest of my classes and leave for the day...'_

He gasped as pressure crushed his arm, and he was pulled back. Though caught off guard, he knew that grip, and glared furiously at Kaiba, demanding an explanation. The CEO just glared back, before pushing him back as he released his arm.

Still fire and ice clashed, until Seto stepped forward so abruptly that Yami automatically stepped backwards, but he knew there was a wall behind him, and quickly stood his ground, unwilling to allow Kaiba to corner him.

"When...do I ever joke?" Came the quiet, icy whisper, as Seto raised his hand to his collar.

Yami was partially mesmerized as he watched the long, slender fingers so carefully undo the first few button's of the CEO'S school jacket, though naturally there was that initial panic about just what he was up to, but as the blue jacket was pushed open to reveal the white shirt beneath, anxiety was washed away, as Yami saw the blue gem still hanging beautifully from the silver chain around Seto's neck.

"Your still...?" He mumbled, slowly looking up to Kaiba's face, amazement covering his own.

"This guy you like." Kaiba cut in, "Say he was willing to make you a deal...?"

Yami handed his attention over without a complaint.

"Let's say he'd agree to give you a chance...a chance for something… 'official'… what would you say to that?"

It was hard to tell if this was real, or if he was daydreaming, but either way, Yami's answer was the same.

"I would ask what he wanted in return."

His look may not have changed, but that must have been exactly the answer Kaiba expected from his rival.

"What if his condition was that he was the one to pick the time and place of any interaction between the two of you?"

As desperate as he may have been, Yami didn't allow his desire to make the decision for him.

"Would my opinion be considered if there was a conflict of interest?"

"If necessary."

It was exactly what Yami wanted. If Kaiba wanted to pick when and where, it was fine, he had no problems with that. He knew it was probably a selfish act by kaiba to protect his own image from the skeptical eyes of the world, but truth be told, he figured maybe it was for the best. One of the main things that had kept him hesitant about getting near Kaiba was the risk of possibly harming Seto's reputation. He'd worked hard all his life to build it...Yami could never willingly harm it.

"Then I would gratefully accept his offer." He answered short but strong.

Once more, it seemed just the answer the CEO expected from the one person capable of standing against him. He wanted nothing more or less from Yami.

He stepped back a bit, as if to show he was satisfied, but now a tension was growing between them, and it was clear Yami wasn't the only one feeling it. For once, neither seemed sure of how to act, but both knew they shared one thought, a single consideration that neither pharaoh nor CEO knew the outcome of.

But then both rubies and sapphires changed almost exactly the same time. They asked each other the same question.

Why were they hesitating? Both were willing to take risks, and neither would ever back down from one another.

Both duelists reached out and pulled the other closer, Kaiba bringing Yami upwards till he was on his toes, and Yami pulling Kaiba down to meet him half way.

Barely an inch from each other's faces, and they stopped again.

They were there again...back in the control room...both taking strength from the will power they could see in each other's eyes, and neither allowing the other to fall again. They just stared at each other, both cautious about making the first move, but unwilling to let the other do so.

_'Not yet...'_

Despite temptation, neither duelist was willing to shift just that tiny bit closer, and slowly they backed off from one another. A silent agreement was shared between them.

Neither was ready to take that step yet. Perhaps tempted by the thought, but unwilling unless this little deal worked out. It was a start, but still not time.

A loud familiar ringing broke the silence, and Yami breathed out heavily in both relief and frustration. Kaiba on the other hand, didn't seem annoyed by the interruption. Perhaps for once, it was well timed.

With a last, challenging glance to one another, the rivals turned and left in different directions. Yami pulled his phone out of his pocket, flipped it open, and placed it to his ear.

"Alright alright hikari! I'm coming!"

"Yami?? What are you shouting about? I was just calling to check if everything was alright?"

He calmed quickly.

"Yes, everything is fine aibou, sorry to shout. I'm on my way now."

"Yami? Where are you exactly?"

He had to smirk at how suspicious his little hikari's voice sounded, not that he could blame him.

He glanced around, still almost able to picture Kaiba standing in the hallway, even though he'd already disappeared from sight...no surprise.

"Yami?"

"Cloud nine aibou."

He snapped the phone shut, and continued down the hall, an excited grin sliding onto his face.

****

_The angel's hands were freezing. It seemed his efforts were producing nothing more than miniscule results. However, a strange sound caught his attention, and rubys stared back up to the crystal, before the ice directly below his hands cracked and fell to the ground. It was so sudden that the angel fell foward, his body now pressed against the ice. Wincing slightly, he glanced up, and was instantly mesmorised. He felt his strength return...at least a bit...as the angel trapped in ice shifted, almost like a statue coming to life, and lifed it's head, looking up through the solid barrier..._

_...and finally saw that someone was there._

_****_

_*giggles*....was I cruel to not have yami and seto go through with it?_

_meh, don't worry, that will happen sooner or later. ^-^_

_please review!_


	11. Chapter 11

_Ok...thats what I get for letting myself get so backed up on my assignments...I really hate when things get in the way of writing...-_-' *smacks self hard*_

_oh! btw, I think my cousin was kind enough to correct me on my terminology...apparently, I've had 'lime' in this fic...not yet 'lemon'...lol, I wasn't sure...but if thats right, then sorry about that ^^_

_lol...I really must love these long chapters huh?_

_anyway, please enjoy! ^-^_

_disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of its characters. _

_I also do not own Titanic, or the car Cadillac Converj...I just thought it was one SWEET looking car! ^^_

_Chapter 11:_

'_That had to be the worst science class ever! I'm not even going to feel annoyed at all the screaming and crying from the girls this time. Just why do we need to know the anatomy of a frog anyway!'_

Yami reminisced the day's classes, and recalled too well how disgusted he'd felt when the class had been told they'd be dissecting frogs. Jou and Honda had whispered about some crazy plan to swipe all the frogs and set them free, and Yami had almost put his hand up to join their little mission, but common sense managed...barely...to keep his arm pinned down.

He'd managed to do the experiment just fine...but that didn't mean he'd enjoyed one bit of it!

A small knock made him glance around to his door from where he was lying on his bed, and he gave a faint smile as Yugi popped his head in, still looking a bit pale from earlier.

Neither his, Ryou's or Anzu's stomachs had been able to endure the gruesome science experiment. Malik may have held it in, but by the end of the lesson, his face had been the same colour as the frogs. Even Bakura had worn a rather repulsed expression...but lucky for him, he had a stomach like...ten times stronger than most of them!

Despite that, Yugi was wearing his cheeky little grin again, and Yami sat up, his own expression calmly asking for an explanation.

Yugi strolled in, and held out the phone. It only took two seconds for Yami to figure out why Yugi was about to burst with held back giggles.

"Not a word Hikari..." He warned gently as he took the phone, being sure to cover the speaker first.

His cheeky cherub of a hikari grinned widely, before quickly scooting out of the room, no doubt to find somewhere private to have his little giggle fit.

Yami had to shake his head affectionately, before raising the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"You'd better have the evening off Mutou, because I've already made arrangements!"

"Why am I not surprised that you'd be inconsiderate enough to give me such late notice Kaiba?"

"In or out Mutou?"

"In of course."

"Good. Then you have two hours to get ready."

"You said you've made arrangements...are we actually going 'out'?"

"You want Mokuba bouncing around again?"

Yami smirked.

"Not particularly."

"Then yes, we are going 'out'...in fact, we're going out five star style, so try to dress appropriately."

"Fine. Just as long as it's not a French restraunt. I think I've had all the frog legs I can stand for one day."

There was a weird, sharp sound from the other end. Probably static.

"Like I'm going to look at a menu with frog legs on it. Why the hell was that ridiculous experiment so important anyway!"

Yami smiled in surprise.

"They must have wanted to punish the whole close for some...just a moment Kaiba..."

He lowered the phone and covered the speaker again.

"YUGI YOU FAIL AS A NINJA!"

There was loud, quick scrambling sounds from outside his door, before someone could be heard running downstairs.

"Anything else I should be aware of Kaiba?" He asked, raising the phone to his ear again, a wicked grin standing in place of the laughter begging to get out.

"No. Just be ready to go. I'm not waiting around for you to finish with your hair gel!"

Was he teasing!

Oh Yami just had to play along!

"I'll be sure to be ready on time Kaiba. I'll see you in two hours, but please do take all the time you need to get into those tight ass pants you're so fond of."

He hung up before the CEO could retaliate, and sat there grinning widely.

Deciding to ensure he stuck to his word, he stood and went to the bathroom to shower. When finished, he wandered back to his room with a towel around his waist, and blinked in surprise when he found Yugi sitting on his bed.

"Hikari?"

Yugi stood and walked around to him, clutching something to his chest, wearing that soft, genuine smile he was known for, and few could hate.

"To celebrate your first 'official' date, I believe some new garments are in order."

Yugi held out the bundle to his alter ego, who took it silently, unsure what to say. Instead, he placed the small pile on his bed, and lifted the first item to inspect it.

It was a crimson red undershirt with long sleeves. Simple, but he liked it.

Placing it down, he lifted the second item, which was a black silk top, much like his own, but seemed even nicer, especially since it had beautiful, fine patterns embroidered in gold thread around the collar, cuffs and hem. There was a short but bold golden chain that hung at the base of the collar, connecting the two sides.

"Yugi..."

"Now you better be home before midnight. Don't let Kaiba give you any crap, and above all, don't you dare come home on your own! If Kaiba thinks he can get away with giving you such late notice, then he better be prepared to return you home!" Yugi scolded like a parent, though a laugh was badly hidden in his voice.

"Don't worry Yugi. He's dropped me back home every other time, I'm sure this will be no different."

Making sure the bedroom door was closed, he let the towel slip from his waist, not at all embarrassed about Yugi seeing him. Though perhaps a little awkward when they'd first separated, neither had ever been concerned about dressing in front of each other.

He got dressed, and attempted to brush his still wet hair a bit, but gave up after only a few minutes...oh well, it usually set neatly on its own once dry anyway.

The two tops combined with long, tight black pants, black boots with thick golden buckles, the belt Yugi had found for him, and his now favourite necklace left him feeling very satisfied with his reflection.

"Arigato aibou." He spoke as he hugged his hikari.

"Gotta give you some chance against Kaiba's expensive taste." Yugi smiled as he hugged back.

"Hikari, he can out do me by a mile with just one of his fancy jackets."

"True, but I was judging by good looks rather than price tags." Yugi answered calmly as he pulled away, "Oh, one more thing before you go wait for your dashing CEO."

Yami shook his head.

"What's that hikari?"

There was a bright flash of light that left Yami dazzled for a moment, before he growled dangerously, and chased after Yugi, who had already fled the room.

"YUGI I SWEAR I WILL BREAK THAT CAMERA THIS TIME!"

Yami was certain to be waiting outside ten minutes before the time Kaiba was due to arrive.

Well, he hadn't broken Yugi's camera, but he had succeeded in getting it long enough to steal the memory card that contained more than one photo of himself caught off guard.

He could kick himself for not having seen it coming! Yugi couldn't stand the fact that his dark half hated having his picture taken, and thus had resorted to making a nasty habit of snapping shots of Yami whenever he wasn't expecting it.

The sound of a car pulled his attention back to the here and now, and he turned to stare down the street, raising an arm over his eyes as bright headlights tried to blind him. He was surprised as it wasn't the limo that pulled up in front of the shop, but instead a much smaller, but still incredibly sleek and expensive black car.

He made his way down the path, and was again surprised when Seto himself got out of the driver's seat.

"Hurry up!"

Yami hadn't noticed the fact that he'd stopped, and quickly opened the passenger's door, almost feeling guilty that his perfectly clean hands had probably still managed to mark the overly polished vehicle. He decided not to dare look, and just got in, Kaiba getting back in the moment he sat down. The CEO drove off as soon as both doors were closed and both seat belts fastened.

"Kaiba...just what kind of car is this?" Yami asked once the shop was out of view.

"A Cadillac Converj." Kaiba answered, "Sorry if you were expecting the limousine again."

"It doesn't bother me. In fact, it's a nice change." Yami replied calmly, staring ahead, "Perhaps I just find it odd to see you driving instead."

"Believe it or not, I prefer to drive than to be driven." Seto retorted a bit defensively.

"Actually, I find that very easy to believe." Yami spoke, still calm as he took a glance at the CEO.

He almost wanted to grin as he was still wearing his trade mark tight black pants and black boots. His shirt was a beautiful royal blue, and looked expensive despite not having any designs like yami's. The black jacket he wore over it didn't look as long as usual, though still succeeded in giving that slightly intimidating look.

"Not five minutes in and you can't keep your eyes to yourself."

Yami just grinned and chuckled, looking ahead but not denying his actions.

The grin turned to a frown as he gave a fierce shiver, and looked to the dashboard.

"Why is everyone so friggin sensitive to the cold!" Kaiba complained unexpectantly, obviously having seen Yami's reaction to the air conditioning.

"No, it's alright. I'm just not used to it." Yami answered quickly as the CEO reached towards the temperature button, "I think it's just in my blood to be more used to the heat. Then again, Yugi and his grandpa being over sensitive to the cold doesn't help. The heater is always pushed to the maximum temperature in winter."

After a pause, Kaiba pulled his arm back, and made a sound to show he'd heard, before both fell silent.

Yami watched as the buildings drifted by, half listening to the radio that was playing too quietly to understand the words. After about ten minutes he was used to the air conditioning, but still made a mental note to wear a jacket next time.

_'Next time? Whoa, let's get one date over at a time.'_

He didn't really take notice of how long it took them to get to their destination, he was silently enjoying the quiet car ride, and was actually a little disappointed when it finished.

"Out." Was all Kaiba said, before he himself got out of the car.

Yami quickly followed. He shut the door, and instantly froze as he saw just where Kaiba had pulled up.

_'Kami...didn't I register it when he said we were going five star!'_

The restraunt didn't look necessarily large, but it was certainly fancy. There were creeping vines creating intricate and beautiful patterns along the walls, and on either side of the entrance sat identical water fountains, both made of marble, and depicting an angel with a lion curled around it's legs. From the tips of each angel's wings, water trickled out to create lovely little arches.

"Don't fret. Their theme is Greek, but they have plenty of other choices with their food. You won't have to eat some dismembered amphibian." Kaiba spoke dryly, walking past him towards the entrance.

Yami quickly fell in behind him, trying to find some balance between being calm and being serious about this. As Kaiba stopped to talk to the overdressed man at the door, he took another look at the water fountains. Each of the angels were standing on their toes, their bodies twisted a bit, as they reached their hands out in offering to the angel on the opposite side.

"Of course you are familiar with everything here sir? Then please step inside here, and someone will be with you to shortly."

The words made Yami look back around, and follow Kaiba into the restraunt. It was a little daunting, the place was beautiful. Large, arch shaped windows took up most of the space on the walls, and gave a crystal clear view of outside, including the harbor that sat behind the restraunt. It was a shamed that there didn't seem to be alfresco dining, the harbor probably would've looked excellent.

"Kaiba, what did he mean when he said 'your familiar with everything here'?" He asked casually as they waited.

The brunette gave him a swift, sharp glance that clearly said 'don't ask that now'. Yami felt a bit offended, but let it go for now. He'd try asking again later.

He glanced around as he noticed a waiter approach. A tall, very slim male with spiky red hair that almost seemed out of place in a five star restraunt.

"Good evening! Welcome to _Pandora's Secret_, thank you for wai..."

The friendly looking waiter stopped part way in his words, as he looked to Yami and Kaiba. Strange, he seemed...shocked? Yami glanced to Kaiba absently, but then looked right around as the ceo's expression also seemed odd.

If there was one thing about Kaiba that was easy to understand, it was when he was angry!

_'Who did what this time?'_

"Right this way please." The waiter suddenly finished, and stepped to the side, gesturing for the them to follow.

Yami was a bit confused as they were led away from the restraunt area, and instead down a narrow passage, though right now that wasn't his main concern. Someone being nervous by Kaiba's mere presence was nothing new, but why did Kaiba seem agitated at the waiter? Did he seem too laid back or something?

They turned to the right and went up a small staircase which led to a room directly above the main restraunt area. It was set out much the same, except many of the tables sat within booths, where there had only been a few downstairs. A rich looking couple sat in one to the right, the man presenting the woman with a necklace of diamonds and pearls. The mere thought of what kind of price tag it came with made it painful to look at.

In a booth to the left sat a few businessmen, and Yami regretted his own curiosity as he looked around, only to find a couple of males snogging in the back corner.

"Here you are." The waiter spoke again, indicating to an empty booth. Yami sat down on one side, whilst Kaiba sat on the other side.

"Here are your menus, and I'll be back in a moment to take your orders gentlemen."

Yami took the menu handed to him, and watched the waiter leave, before finally giving Kaiba an expectant look.

"Mind your own business whilst we're here." Kaiba grunted without looking up from his menu.

Yami didn't even try to hide how offended he felt, and scowled deeply until Kaiba seemed to feel the burning glare, and glanced up slightly.

"I mean don't go checking out what everyone else here is up to!" Kaiba explained impatiently, "This floor is reserved for private meetings, and is priced so most people can't afford it!"

Yami's expression changed from anger to surprise as he listened.

"It's designed as a place where the rich, or those in business can have some privacy. However, the rules state that you're forbidden to repeat anything you see up here. For example, you can't run home and tell Yugi there was a free adult show going on in the back."

Yami had to grin at that, and gave a swift glance to where the boys were still making out in their own booth, before looking back and nodding.

"Alright. I understand. But tell me, how do they guarantee that no one will whisper about anyone else once they leave this place?"

"Well, you can go ahead and whisper, but just remember, someone else can spread one about you just as easily." Kaiba answered, smirking up at him "This particular restraunt also keeps a record of anyone who makes reservations on this floor. They're surprisingly very knowledgeable about those who work in large companies. They always ask for your name and occupation when you arrive, and so if a rumor is spread, they can trace it back to the night the person was here and find out if there was anyone from a rival company who could be a possible suspect."

Yami gave an impressed smile.

"I guess privacy really is their goal here." He answered, "But what about the staff? I suppose they over hear things that their tempted to repeat elsewhere?"

"Of course. But the threat of instant dismissal and suing helps them resist that temptation."

Yami allowed a quiet chuckle to leave him, returning the smirk, before both looked back to their menus, not speaking until the waiter returned a short time later.

"Are you ready to order gentlemen?"

"Rib eye steak with Dianne sauce and garden salad." Kaiba answered, holding the menu out without even looking around.

"Blade steak with mash potato, roast vegetables and gravy please." Yami ordered, polite enough to actually look at the waiter as he returned his menu.

"How would you like your steaks?"

"Medium well."

"Well done."

"And any drinks?"

"Water."

"Orange Juice."

Rubies and sapphires look to each other in mild surprise.

"Very well, your orders will be ready in about twenty minutes, please just call if you need anything else."

With that, the waiter left for the time.

"Why just have water Kaiba?"

"You forget whose driving?"

"Oh, right, of course."

"And what about you?"

"I just like juice."

Both stopped talking, and glanced away.

Talk about awkward! Though Yami had to confess his own selfishness that he was glad he wasn't the only one feeling that way.

At least their drinks came fast enough.

"Cheers." Kaiba said half-heartedly.

"Cheers." Yami replied, also lacking the usual strength in his voice.

Both took their time as they drank, both of their usual sureness left back in the car.

"Kaiba...about the other day."

Seto looked up as he placed his drink down.

"Again, thank you for returning my poem. I couldn't think of another memory to use to write it, but I hadn't intended for it to be repeated outside the classroom."

Yami hoped it wasn't too obvious how much effort it took him to talk. It wasn't so much the fact that it was Kaiba he was talking to, but more that he himself wasn't very good at starting conversations.

What a time to realize that almost every conversation he'd been a part of had been started by someone else.

"It's not like we were told they would go up on the notice board for the whole school to see. Those idiot teachers screwed up there." Kaiba answered in a surprisingly calm tone.

Yami felt grateful that it seemed he to was attempting to do more than just sit there.

"Perhaps they thought we'd like others to see how well we supposedly did."

"Oh and that gives them permission?" Kaiba replied sarcastically.

_'Kaiba...did you use a personal memory as well?'_

"I thought I heard you did really well on your poem?" Yami continued.

Kaiba looked to him sharply, and Yami quickly backed off a bit this time. He and Anzu still weren't talking after the fight the other day, and Yami had no intention of prying into business that wasn't his to know.

Curiosity was one thing...being too pushy was another.

As Kaiba pretty much glared at him, he didn't allow himself to show fear, but did his best to make it clear that he was only curious, and he'd keep his nose to himself if preferred.

The icy gaze slowly melted to what appeared to be contemplation, until the CEO finally blinked, and the icy shields were replaced.

"If you want to know, then show me yours, and I'll show you mine."

"Your poem...?"

"Yes. Let me read yours, and I'll let you read mine."

Yami flinched back slightly, and looked away frowning.

Ok...so in a way it was fair...in another way...it was straight out black mail!

"Forget it. It was just a question." He grumbled back, and took another mouthful of his drink.

He'd never said he'd actually wanted to read it...but naturally, now that it had been suggested, he couldn't help but wanting a glimpse of the brunette's writing.

_'Kaiba...would you even remember that time if I placed in on paper before you? And if you did, would you hate me for it? Would you just not care? Would you even understand?'_

"So how did the rest of your class handle that stupid experiment today?" He eventually mumbled to change the topic.

"I'd say about ninety-eight percent wanted to skip lunch right afterwards." Kaiba answered.

"Let me guess, you and the teacher were the other two percent?" Yami questioned, not smiling but not frowning either.

"Actually the teacher messed up her own frog from shaking too much...the other person was just some idiot who had actually been waiting to do the experiment. I'm being to think the teachers only went ahead with it to shut him up." Kaiba answered with a similar expression.

"Someone actually wanted to do that?" Yami replied, showing just a bit of shock.

"It seems there's someone sicker in the head than me." Kaiba answered sarcastically.

Yami chuckled slightly.

"Your hardly sick in the head Kaiba. Just cruel and sadistic."

Kaiba gave a small, cruel grin, as if to back up what Yami had just said, and the ruby-eyed teen found himself looking away grinning a little, feeling his cheeks warm just slightly.

Their conversations continued like this...short, awkward, but in the end, calm. When their meals finally arrived, Yami couldn't help but compare the dishes. Neither dish looked too much or too less, and yet Yami's blade steak and roast vegetables seemed massive on Kaiba's rib eye steak and salad.

None the less, he didn't allow that to deter him from digging into his food. He was glad he felt no compulsion to pretty much inhale his food, the whole atmosphere was so relaxing that he couldn't help but just take his time with it.

_'No surprise, but good taste in dining Kai...Seto.'_

"Well I take it your enjoying yourself?"

"Oh I'm sorry, did I unintentionally smile again and burn your sensitive eyes?" Yami countered the light sarcasm.

"No, not yet anyway."

They would have to figure something out to stop all the pauses in between the tiny conversations, but one step at a time...this was the most they'd talked in one night, and despite the minor one line challenges, the conversations had been fine.

When the meals were finished, Yami felt great, it had been just the right size, and for the first time he knew of, Kaiba also finished his whole meal.

"Can I interest you in any desserts gentlemen?" The red haired waiter asked when he returned.

"The usual." Kaiba answered promptly.

Yami glanced to him in surprise, before giving a light, playful smirk.

"I'll have the same thank you." He said to the waiter.

He could feel the ceo's eyes on him, and even the waiter seemed a bit caught off guard, but just wrote it on his pad, and left again.

"Your daring." Kaiba stated shortly.

"Hm. As long as it's nothing like stewed prunes, I think I trust your sense of taste." Yami answered.

Again Kaiba didn't actually answer, and just looked away.

"Kaiba, may I ask you something?"

"Depends."

Yami took a moment to word his question.

"Do you...dislike eating a lot?"

The CEO glanced back to him. He didn't seem shocked, but still like he hadn't expected the question. Yami had to hope the question wasn't too personal.

"I dislike...heavy meals." He finally answered with a sigh, "I hate feeling sick or bloated.

Yami felt a subtle but pleasant calmness, and gave a small nod.

"I understand. I don't like to feel bloated either, but I do enjoy feeling full and satisfied."

"Well if Mokuba didn't enjoy the large meals so much, I'd make the chiefs at home cut back on what they serve."

"Why can't you just have less than him?" Yami asked.

It wasn't a suggestion or sarcasm.

Just asking for less was an obvious solution. Of course Kaiba would have thought of it, so there had to be some reason he didn't try it. He knew Kaiba would understand that was the meaning behind his question.

"Because he also bugs me for not eating nearly as much as he does when I'm twice his size. Plus the damn chiefs are terrified they'll give me too little and get fired."

"Well..._'would'_ you fire them?"

"I'd give them a warning the first time. Can't make any promises about the second time."

"Wow, you'd actually give a warning first?"

"Maybe..."

Yami chuckled again.

"What?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

"Say it Mutou."

"I was just enjoying the conversation. Nothing more than that."

Kaiba seemed unsure about how to reply to that, and just turned away once more.

It didn't take too long for dessert to arrive. Not that Yami had really known what to expect, but a small bowl of fruit salad with vanilla and caramel ice cream certainly hadn't come to mind.

The bowl was beautiful, clear crystal, and its contents arranged to be subtle but lovely.

Kaiba scooped up a small piece of banana and a bit of vanilla ice cream, and ate it, though he paused part way through eating to glance up at Yami, as if to ask why he was staring.

Yami focused on his own bowl, and covered a strawberry in caramel ice cream. He almost slipped into heaven the moment it entered his mouth. Definitely the best ice cream he'd ever had, and probably the nicest strawberries as well.

"Hm. I knew I could trust your taste." He said with a small smile of satisfaction, though it was from the pleasant taste in his mouth, not because he'd been right.

He was about to stick the next mouthful in his mouth, when he noticed Kaiba had paused, and was just staring downwards, though his dessert was clearly not the matter holding his attention.

He gave the CEO a moment, though he didn't move until just before Yami was about to speak. He lifted his head once more, and continued to eat.

Though concerned, Yami decided to leave it alone for now, and stuck his spoon in his mouth before the ice cream could drip on the table.

Dessert was quieter than dinner, though not uncomfortable. Yami glanced up occasionally to Kaiba, before looking back down. As he did so one time, he wound up doing a double take.

Was that...? Did Kaiba have ice cream sitting on the side of his mouth?

He acted quickly before he even had a chance to laugh...and before his mind could even try and enter any area marked _'off limits'_!

"Kaiba."

The brunette looked up at the quiet call. Yami casually picked up his napkin and wiped his own mouth, before continuing to eat.

He was very glad to see Kaiba obviously got the message, as he watched him carefully raise his hand and wipe his mouth a bit, before looking to the back of his hand.

_'Too close...the last thing I needed right now was for my mind to start wandering in the wrong...OH WAS THAT NECESSARY!'_

Yami felt the painful sting of cold through his teeth as he bit straight into the ice cream, his focus having been lost as instead of using his napkin the way Yami had, Kaiba had...oh so calmly...licked the ice cream from his hand.

He took a moment, covering his mouth as he waited for the pain to pass. However, he caught something out of the corner of his eye, and glanced to kaiba.

The brunette was just staring at him, a very smug, wicked grin on his face.

_'What? He did that on purpose!'_

Yami frowned at him, before returning to his food.

_'That was just payback for that comment about your pants earlier on the phone, wasn't it Kaiba...?' _He grumbled in his head, more annoyed when he realized that last painful bite had been his actual last bite of dessert, only an empty, ice cream smudged bowl looked back up at him now.

The sapphires suddenly looked past him, and the smirk changed to a frown.

"I'll be back." Kaiba said quickly, before standing.  
Yami just watched as he moved around the table past him. He twisted around, and saw the red-haired waiter serving another table, until Kaiba tapped him on the shoulder.

"A word?" He barely caught Kaiba whisper coldly, before the taller boy walked away.

The waiter looked back to his customers with an awkward smile, and finished taking their orders, before darting off in the same direction Kaiba had gone.

_'Great almighty Ra, please forbid my curiosity getting the better of me...'_

Sadly, the gods must have been too preoccupied with other matters to hear Yami's genuine plea, as it didn't take long for the teen to stand and follow Kaiba's path to a door at the far end of the room.

Glancing around swiftly to make sure no one was watching, he moved closer to the door.

"Seriously! I tried to get it changed! My boss just wanted to know why I wasn't as eager to serve you as usual!"

"And what did you tell him!" Came Kaiba's gruff voice.

That you'd requested to be served by someone else tonight because you wanted to see how the rest of the service staff performed! But he's grouchy tonight because we're short staffed, and said he didn't have time to deal with picky customers or waiters. I swear I didn't know until you walked in!"

"Yeah, you made that pretty apparent!"

"Please Seto, I..."

_'Seto?'_

"Enough! I'll be having a word with your boss later about fulfilling a customer's orders!"

Yami heard the foreboding footsteps, and made to rush away...

"Seto wait..."

"Watch it!"

"Come on, we're alone. Why can't I use your name? No, never mind that right now. Look, the guy your with, Yugi Mutou was it...?"

"His name is _Yami_ Mutou. Yugi Mutou's older brother."

Yami couldn't help but feel pride swell just a little in his heart...he still remembered when he and yugi had been in one body, and Kaiba had never thought there to be any difference between them.

"Ok, Yami. But are you and Yami...you know...? On a...?"

"And if we are!"

"Seto...does that mean...?"

A sound like a fist slamming against a wall shut the boy up fast.

"If your mind takes one more step in that direction, you'll be getting a very bad report about your service tonight!"

"Ok ok, I'm sorry. Don't suppose I can make it up to you?"

Yami heard feet shuffling again, and quickly ducked into the men's room that he thanked was so conveniently right next to the other room.

"Just keep doing your job!" Kaiba's voice was louder, like he'd walked out of the other room.

Yami backed up into one of the stalls slowly, hoping to give himself some sort of alibi should Kaiba happen to walk in. He listened as their footsteps disappeared, before sighing heavily, and left the stall. He was quick to walk to the sink, and wash his face.

He told himself that he was probably over reacting, and had misunderstood. Still, he couldn't help feeling unsure about the conversation he'd heard.

Kaiba clearly knew the waiter quite well...

...but why?

"Enough. It's not my business." He scolded himself, and turned the tap off hard.

He stood straight, sighing heavily, as he gave himself a firm glare in the mirror.

"AAH!"

He stumbled backwards, tripping over his feet, and cringed as he felt his head strike the side of one of the cubicles.

_'Not here! Not here!'_

He looked back to the mirror, memories of the carnival coming back to him as the cause of his panic was the reflection that had glared back at him.

Angry, dangerous violet eyes…teeth bared in rage…

The foreign reflection had already vanished, but he didn't even question whether or not it had been real.

Just to make the whole situation perfect, the bathroom door opened, and Kaiba walked in.

"Something wrong?" He asked sarcastically.

_'Kami damn it. Couldn't he have at least waited until I'd gotten back on my feet?' _

"I just slipped." He answered shortly, standing and holding his head in one hand as it throbbed painfully.

He quickly dropped his arm though as Kaiba stared at him. He made to walk past the CEO, but froze as he felt more than one emotion react to the powerful hand that grabbed his arm.

"What? I said I slipped."

"Yeah, I'll believe you." Kaiba stated bluntly, and pulled Yami's arm up to put it in his view.

Yami's eyes widened as he saw blood on his hand, and quickly tore his arm away from the powerful grip to touch the back of his head again.

"Kuso." He muttered as he pulled it back and found more blood there.

_' Yet another addition to the list of embarrassing things I've done in front of Kaiba!' _He thought bitterly as he grabbed a handful of toilet paper from one of the stalls, and pressed it firmly against his head.

"Wrong spot."

"It's my head, I think I know where its bleeding Kaiba."

"Says he who didn't even realize it was bleeding."

"Urasai." Yami whispered in annoyance, feeling like his face was redder than the blood.

How had he missed that he was bleeding? Did he think it was just water on his hand?

"Hey, what are you...!"

"Hold still."

"I can do it myself!'

"Your holding it on the spot that hurts, not the spot that's bleeding!"

Yami growled as Kaiba took hold of his wrist, and moved it to the correct spot on his head. However, whilst it hurt his pride somewhat, he didn't fight for long, deciding it was a rather considerate action by Seto, though he wouldn't say that to him.

Neither looked at each other as they stood like that for a while, and Yami's emotions had a silent feud within him.

He was still rather embarrassed that the CEO had seen him like this...but on the other hand, it wasn't like he was opposed to Kaiba helping him in such a way.

After a few minutes, he pulled away a bit, and Kaiba released his arm.

"Has it stopped?"

He wasn't sure if he was sorry or not for asking as he felt the same powerful hand push his hair to the side.

"Yes. The cut's not bad, it just needed the pressure."

"Yami nodded lightly, and finally looked around to him.

"Thank you."

"Just clean up and hurry up. I don't make a habit of being late."

"Late? For what?"

"Just get moving."

The brunette left the bathroom...as well as Yami mentally groaning.

_'Ra give me patience.'_

He washed his hands and the part of his hair coated in blood, before leaving the bathroom. Kaiba was waiting, and glanced around as he arrived.

Yami followed as he pushed off the wall, and headed back down the stairs they'd first come up.

When they got downstairs to the hallway, they headed in the opposite direction, Yami glancing back to the main area where everyone else was, though he couldn't actually see anyone around the corner. After a sudden initial shock from a cold breeze, Yami felt a small smile grow as they were led out a door to the back of the restraunt.

The harbor was magnificent, a massive black mirror reflecting the lights shining around Domino city.

"You can gawk all you want in a minute!" Kaiba called back to him impatiently.

Yami looked around, and his jaw nearly dropped as he saw the CEO heading towards a small but luxurious looking river cruise boat.

"Kaiba are you serious!"

"Didn't we already have the discussion about me joking around?" Kaiba replied a bit coldly, as he walked up the small platform to the ship.

Yami quickly caught up and got on the boat. As expected, it was even more luxurious on the inside, and he possibly felt more out of place in here than in the restraunt.

He watched through one of the windows as the boat pulled away from the dock, coming to actually like the privacy of the boat now that the surprise was wearing off. He turned to inspect the boat better. It's size and design clearly meant it was only for private groups like this. The couches looked so comfortable, he bet he could easily sit there and get lost in a book or a daydream...heck, he might even fall asleep if he wasn't careful!

He grinned at the thought, until he noticed Kaiba doing something over by a mini fridge, though relaxed when he saw him take a mouthful of water from a bottle.

Unable to wait until they got further out, he headed out onto the deck, holding onto the railing as the boat glided ever so smoothly through the still water. The wind and water made a beautiful melody, drowning out the less enchanting sounds of the city in the background. If he couldn't see it, Yami might just have forgotten about the world beyond the boat. Yugi had accused him of being addicted to daydreaming...and for the first time, he admitted that he was guilty as charged.

He glanced around as he heard footsteps, smiling a bit as Seto leant back against the railing next to him, leaving some personal space between them.

"Do you have these kind of evenings often Kaiba? I know you could afford it if you wanted..." He asked, half distracted by the serenity.

"Hardly." Kaiba answered a bit bluntly, though not rudely, "I don't have time to go cruising around every night..."

He paused for a moment.

"...If I dine out though, it's at that restraunt."

"Is it really that hard to get privacy elsewhere?" Yami asked, not looking to the CEO as he gripped his arm a bit.

He tried to push the memory of the conversation he'd heard at the restraunt out of his head for now.

"Any CEO would say the same thing. You try dining out anywhere, and the press are upon you, holding their cameras at the ready like you're some criminal on death row, and they're the ones holding the guns."

"Dark way to put it..."

"Sorry, but you know I don't do cheery. I'll leave that to you and your friends."

That made Yami's smile return. He looked back around to Kaiba, but his smile was short lived as the seriousness that had been lacking in Kaiba's voice was showing in his eyes.

"You're not exaggerating are you?"

"Why would I?" Kaiba muttered, "In the world of business, one little mistake and you find yourself in front of the firing line."

It sounded like that was something Seto had thought off all too much... something...he was perhaps tired of thinking.

"Kaiba?"

He didn't feel any gaze upon him, but the silence was an effective answer.

"Thank you for taking this seriously."

Now he felt those eyes turn to face him.

"I know you don't like to hear me apologize, but I probably should. I don't regret my actions, but being a pain in the neck was never my intention."

"Whatever."

Yami looked around.

"You liked being a pain and you know it."

He gave a devious grin.

"Well, maybe sometimes."

Neither spoke again for some time. Yami could hear music playing from inside the boat, though not clearly enough to recognize it.

"Wait here." Kaiba finally broke the silence, and moved to go back inside.

Yami watched him disappear back inside, before looking back over the water.

_'This is incredible. I guess I should feel lucky. I can't count how many girls from school probably would kill to be in my place. Hm. Listen to me, bitching about it, how pathetic. Heh heh, well, it doesn't matter. At least for now, he's MY Kaiba.'_

The night air was cool out over the water, and an icy breeze sent a massive shiver through the teen's entire body, enough that he almost stumbled over.

Instead of feeling embarrassed though, he just laughed, thinking it hilarious. He didn't really care if Kaiba came out and found him like that.

As he looked back up, the movie Titanic came to mind for some reason. Weird, he didn't even like the movie...though he would admit it was deserving of the credit it had been given.

_'This is crazy...but what the heck.'_

He moved to the very front of the boat…pressed himself against the railing… and raised his arms out to his sides.

Anyone who saw him now would no doubt think he looked ridiculous, but as the wind picked up and blew against him, he really didn't care what the world thought.

_'Malik would kill me if he knew I did something completely silly like this without him.'_

A pair of strong hands enclosed around his wrists, firm but not harsh, as a strong body just barely pressed against him from behind.

"Having fun there Rose?"

"You've actually seen that movie?" Yami answered, surprised he hadn't jumped at the touch.

"As if. The damn world just wouldn't allow me to live a life in complete ignorance of the film."

"I suppose that's true. I Don't even like the movie and I know more about it than I really want."

He felt one of the strong hands slide from his wrist to his hand. Though shocked, he managed to stay calm, and was tempted to grip Kaiba's hand back, except the CEO had slipped something into his palm before letting go of his arms. He lowered his hand to look at the tiny object.

Hs eyes lit up widely, as in his palm, he found a tiny figurine of the 'Magician of Black Chaos'.

"Kaiba..."

He looked to the CEO, who was also now staring out over the water. He noticed him gripping something in his hand, and was just able to make out the blue eyes white dragon figurine, before it was slipped back into the pocket of the brunette's jacket.

"Spell casters and dark element monsters _are_ your preference aren't they?" Kaiba cut in, sounding like he was stating an obvious fact.

Yami smirked calmly, looking back over the harbor as he slipped the lovely gift into the pocket on his shirt.

"Just as Dragon and light element types are yours." He answered quietly.

"Sir?"

Both duelists looked around. A young waiter held out a tray with two large cocktails upon it. They each took a glass, and the waiter bowed, swiftly disappearing back into the boat to remain invisible unless needed. Yami took a sip, glad to find it was a non-alcoholic drink, but still beautifully sweet with the taste of mixed, chilled tropical fruits.

Neither of them seemed compelled to go back in and enjoy the interior of the boat, both apparently content with the tranquility of the deck.

They didn't really pay each other attention, but as both glasses started to get low, and the mesmerizing grasp of the view began to loosen, there was less to distract either of them from the other's presence, and this time, both rubies and sapphires were caught staring more than once.

Another shiver rocked Yami, smaller than before, but still producing the same effect. It was indeed cold, though he didn't want to admit it.

"It's not that bad." Kaiba stated, having seen the shiver.

"No it's not." Yami grumbled back, not really wanting to call that an agreement.

He flinched a bit when he felt the tall body press against him from behind again, the powerful hands gripping the railing right next to his own.

The thought of being _caught_ between kaiba and the railing only lasted for a moment, for as much as the CEO seemed to enjoy the cold, his body was surprisingly warm.

Yami wasn't sure if he was blushing or not, but slowly rested back against Seto, turning his head so his cheek could also rest against the strong chest.

"Comfortable there?"

"Will you push me away if I say yes?"

The CEO didn't answer.

"Kaiba...?"

"Don't...!"

The way Kaiba cut off so sharply in his sentence almost fully snapped Yami out of his trance like state, and he looked up.

The ceo's eyes were narrowed sharply, though his gaze was out over the water.

"Kaiba? What were you going to say?"

"Nothing."

"Yes you were."

"You're presuming my actions again pharaoh."

"And you're beating around the bush again." Yami replied calmly, turning to face the brunette.

The sapphire orbs turned down to him, still glaring dangerously.

"Pharaoh got your tongue?" He suddenly added with a taunting smirk, purposely nudging at the ceo's pride.

"What do you want from me!" Kaiba spat in retaliation.

"The same that you ask of me..." Yami whispered simply, the smirk fading, "...You're not afraid of me Kaiba, so why act like you are?"

He realized a second before Kaiba flinched away that he was about to, and gently placed his hands on top of the ceo's, stopping him from pulling away, though not enough that Seto couldn't pull away if he tried hard enough.

"Face me Kaiba..." He whispered.

"You trying to tell me what to do?"

"It's a request..."

"And why should I oblige?"

"You're not under any obligation."

Neither duelist missed how their faces were slowly moving closer.

Kaiba didn't answer again, but gradually, the defensive glare seemed to be drifting away...possibly against Kaiba's initial will, judging by how firm his gaze still was.

He suddenly pulled his hands free, and grabbed Yami's. Both duelists matched each other's moves, as they both entwined their fingers, gripping with equal force.

Yami was on his toes without realizing it, whilst Kaiba was leaning down to meet him halfway.

There was nothing to fear...

They were at the same level...unsure, anxious, curious, defensive, but attempting to open up just that tiny bit.

Yami would never push Seto, because he was only as ready to open up as he was.

They were alone now. However this turned out, it stayed between them. One way or another...they could both move on.

Yami felt his heart quicken as their cheeks brushed against one another... the cautious prelude to the touch he craved...

And then his feet left the ground.

He let out a yell of shock as the boat rocked heavily to one side, sending both duelists flying over to crash hard on the deck.

"WHAT THE RA!" He blurted out, trying to push himself up.

But neither of them were given time to find their feet, as another large wave crashed into the other side of the boat, sending both sliding along the wooden deck, and into the railing.

Yami's back slammed right into it, and memories shot through his mind...

_Being swept up by a powerful grip...and slammed hard into a poll..._

"No! Not now!" He yelled out over the thundering waves, so different from the calm water before hand.

Kaiba looked around to him at his words, but again both were sent flying across the deck. However, this time Kaiba grabbed hold of the railing, his free hand grabbing hold of Yami's shoulder. The ruby eyed teen reached up and also grabbed the railing, holding on the best he could.

Their efforts were in vain though.

"LOOK OUT!"

The words left Yami as he watched in horror as a massive wave rose above them. Kaiba's eyes widened in shock, before the water came crashing down.

Both were knocked away from the railing, and sent flying right off the other side.

"SETO!" Yami cried as they were separated, before the dark, icy water embraced him.

The arctic temperature and formidable silence made it hard to concentrate, but he knew he couldn't be far under the surface, and did his best to push himself through the water once he got his bearings. But his attempt was soon interrupted, as something grabbed his leg.

He gasped, his air spilling from his mouth, as he felt himself being dragged down.

_'No! stop it! stop it!'_

He kept struggling, but he couldn't even see the invisible force wrapped around his leg, though he could feel it beginning to curl up his entire body, restraining his arms and wrapping around his throat.

_'Why does this have to happen? Right when I was getting to know you?'_

The beautiful face of the CEO flashed through his mind. Cold, unforgiving eyes, slowly starting to melt, to reveal what secrets they hid.

_'Seto. I'm sorry...please get out of this...'_

Air had left him, and his vision was fading. High above, where the smallest glimmer of light still penetrated the water's dark depths, the silhouette of a figure was moving.

He had won. He was coming to claim what he wanted.

Maybe if he was lucky, the lack of oxygen would claim Yami first. His eyes slipped closed just before he felt a powerful grip drag him up.

_'So you win...I hope I die before you get me out of here...'_

His thoughts didn't lie...he'd die before he took the other option...

"BREATHE YOU IDIOT!"

A painful strike to the side of his face made the ruby eyes snap wide open, and Yami heard and felt himself draw a massive breath of air.

Air? Wait...

He coughed and spluttered loudly, his vision very slowly returning. He could see bright lights circling all around in the distance. The feel of water lapping gently against his arms began to register, and he finally looked up, seeing the familiar piercing blue gems staring down at him.

"Se...o..." He stumbled out, his own voice almost foreign.

A blinding light flared up, illuminating them both.

"Are you two alright!" A foreign voice called urgently.

"Move it!" Kaiba growled, half dragging Yami through the water.

Yami tried to swim by himself, but he felt exhausted, even as his hand made contact with the orange rubber of the life boat. He didn't fight as he felt himself being pulled up, and laid down on his side. He looked up in slight panic for a moment, calming when he saw Seto haul himself up over the edge.

"Breath...just breath..." He heard the other people speak as they patted his back, helping to remove any water he'd swallowed. Strangely, despite nearly suffocating, he didn't seem to have swallowed much at all, only a few drops in fact.

He could feel the boat moving, but didn't really care for their destination, his eyes stayed on the brunette sitting by him. Just having him in sight brought him more comfort than the knowledge that they were safe.

He could feel himself drifting, but refused to let his eyes close.

"Ok, we're here. Excuse me sir, we'll just get...h-hey! wait! what are you doing!"

Yet again, memories of that night came to Yami, but this time, they were welcomed.

a pair of strong arms embracing him like he was fragile…a strong chest giving him support when he felt he was going to break…

He huddled close, not caring what else happened if he could stay right where he was.

"Seto! Seto! Oh my gosh! are you guys alright!"

That voice was familiar, but he didn't care to place a face to it right now.

"Things will be better when you find out what the hell happened out there Akio!" He heard Kaiba reply harshly.

"H-here! take these towels Seto...I'll go call an ambulance and..."

"You'll be a better cousin to me if you just go and bring my car around here!" Kaiba growled dangerously.

_'Cousin?'_

Yami managed to look up, and saw the waiter from earlier, who caught what must have been seto's car keys, and rushed off to do the ceo's bidding.

"Can you walk?"

Yami nodded to the quiet whisper, and carefully lowered his legs, wobbling a little as they touched ground. Seto half placed half threw a towel over his head, which he quickly wrapped around himself, just now realizing how freezing he was!

He knew there were medical people around, trying to fuss and make sure they were ok, but though grateful for their concern, he just wanted them to go away. It was a relief to see Kaiba's car appear around the back of the restraunt. Having managed to find his feet a little more, he carefully walked towards the passenger's door, and fumbled a little to open it. He got in as quickly as he could, shutting the door to block out the loud, currently unwelcome world.

He heard another door open and shut on his other side, recognizing the feel of Seto's presence. Neither spoke a word as the car roared into life, and Seto, drove away from the restraunt.

He generally hated complete silence, but for the time, he had to agree that it was golden. It allowed reality and awareness to piece themselves back together for him, and though he was too cold and tired to react upon it, he felt anger boil within himself.

Why had that kisama gone and interrupted his time with Kaiba! That look he'd seen in the mirror before the boat ride...he'd been furious...why? because Yami was finally looking somewhere else? at _someone _else?

_'Marikku...I know it's me you want...but I won't give in that easily...and if you dare come near Seto...you will pay dearly for it!'_

The air conditioning was already on from the trip to the restraunt, but Yami didn't have the heart to tell Kaiba, even if it was just freezing him even more. He tried to hold back a shiver and just shut his eyes, looking away. He didn't want to argue with the CEO right now, not on anything.

It was then something clicked in his mind, and he felt the pocket on his shirt, sighing quietly in relief when he found the small lump that was the figurine Kaiba had given him. He also checked he hadn't lost his necklace, eternally grateful to find it still around his neck.

A gentle breeze of warm air caressed his side, and he glanced around, seeing Kaiba change the air conditioner to the heater. He rested his head back, letting a small sigh of relief be his thanks.

"I suppose I _'should'_ take you to the hospital." The brunette finally spoke.

His words were as blunt as ever, but Yami knew what Kaiba was really saying...or more correctly...what he was asking.

"...Yugi..."

The one word whisper was the only answer the CEO needed.

As the trip continued, Yami tried to convince his mind that it was ok to relax now, but it kept replaying what had happened. Yet despite knowing just why they'd ended up in the water, it wasn't that which stood out the most...

He glanced up as he felt the soft jerk of the car pulling up.

"Hope you've got a good excuse ready." Kaiba muttered, trying to be sarcastic, but clearly not as up to being a jerk as he usually was.

...what stood out the most to Yami, was who had saved him.

"Thank you Kaiba." He mumbled, and opened the door.

"Hey."

Yami paused, and went to look back around, when he felt a firm arm wrap around his arms, and pull him backwards.

A touch as soft as a petal leaf pressed against the back of his head where he'd bumped it earlier, and warmth flooded through him, finally settling his shaking, and making the uneasy thoughts fade way.

"Get going. My seat is soaked enough." Came the sarcastic remark as the touch glided away, and he was released.

"I'm sure getting it fixed would only be like emptying your change to you Kaiba." Yami answered swiftly, smirking a bit.

He got out, and turned around. Kaiba may have been frowning as always, but Yami decided to offer a smile in return this time.

"Thank you for the evening..." He replied, and closed the door.

He walked up the path, noting how the car didn't move until he reached the door, and looked around when it sped off.

"...I don't regret it at all."

He gripped the ruby around his neck, before he opened the door and walked inside, a little surprised that the lights were off, at least until he saw the TV was on, and sugoroku snoring in his recliner.

Yugi was also half hanging over the edge of the couch, no doubt having failed to wait up for Yami to return. Yami lovingly moved the small boy into a more comfortable position, before heading upstairs.

'_Even if he wakes up, he'll have to wait for an explanation. I refuse to do anything more until I get a nice hot shower!'_

"Niisan! Niisan! Are you alright! I thought I heard something smash?" Mokuba called through the heavy doors of his brother's bedroom.

"It's nothing Mokuba, I dropped a glass." His brother's voice called back calmly.

"Did you cut yourself?"

"No, but don't come in, there's glass everywhere. Just go back to bed and get some rest Mokuba."

"Al...alright Niisan...goodnight." Mokuba answered hesitantly, and began to walk away.

'_Niisan...you came home even quieter than usual...what's going on? Why won't you tell me?'_

In his room, Kaiba listened to the quiet footsteps of his little brother disappear, as he stood in the bathroom, his fist still clenched and shaking, whilst his mirror lay shattered across the bathroom floor.

"What are you expecting to happen you fool!" He growled coldly to apparently no one, "What makes you think things will be any different this time!"

Glass shards cracked under his heavy boots as he stormed out of the bathroom, slamming the door hard as if wanting to make it break free of the wall.

_Whoot! Another chapter down!_

_I'm a little worried though...did I go too out of character for Kaiba? Lol, its hard trying to make him gradually open up..._

_well hopefully in a few weeks, I'll have more time to work on my writing, rather than throwing it in where I can._

_Hope you enjoyed!_

_Please review! ^^_


	12. Chapter 12

_Yippee! *bounces around*...I was hoping I'd get this updated before I went on holiday! ^^_

_Awww...I didn't get up to the part I originally planned, I'd forgotten I had to do this part first...but it's ok...I think this came out alright._

_Wow...lol...and here I was worried this chapter was gonna be a lot shorter than the rest...so not the case! ^^'_

_Anyway, there is a large explanation part in this, but I hope I've made it enjoyable...it needed to be in there._

_Hope you enjoy! :)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of it's characters...however, I forgot to mention last chapter that the character Akio belongs to me (though I'm sure that was already obvious XP), so no pinchy please!_

_Also, I took certain elements from Seto's past that were in the original story, those elements are not mine, I have simply mingled them with my own ideas to fit the story._

* * *

_Chapter 12:_

"Bet it's a relief, hey Yami?"

"You have no idea."

Yami proudly flexed his hand, finally free after weeks of confinement within the bandage.

It had been just over a month since Yami's first official date with Seto, and despite initial fears that the fuss on the boat would jeopardise any further interaction between them, Yami had been so relieved when two days later, Seto's limo had been waiting for him after school, with an invitation to study at Kaiba's mansion for the afternoon. For once, Yami was actually happy to study, though he'd had to constantly give himself mental scoldings for watching Kaiba too much after he'd entered the library half an hour later to also study.

It was also a bit of an awkward memory, since before Seto had arrived, Mokuba had come and apologised to Yami for lying to him, and explained that ever since the attack from the hacker, Seto had been very strict and barely allowing him to go out.

Yami could understand the views from both brothers...Seto's strict rules to protect his sibling, and Mokuba's rebellious actions to gain a dose of freedom.

"Calling all past life royalty!"

Yami blinked and looked up, giving a light smile as Malik just chuckled.

"Hey, has anyone seen Jounichi?" Ryou asked from where he stood next to Bakura, the alter ego looking like he'd already had enough of standing in line to get on the coaches.

The school trip to the beach had been postponed for a few weeks, causing an up roar from the students...to some degree, justified...since many had organised other plans around the trip. Apparently, it had been hard enough to convince Bakura to go with them...though Yami reckoned he wanted to go more than he let on.

"He said he had to run to the bathroom." Honda answered.

"Speaking of which, if anyone else need to go, go now. Remember, the trip will take a few hours, and I doubt there'll be many pit stops." Anzu spoke up.

"Fair point." Malik agreed.

"Coming Yami?" Yugi asked.

"I suppose it would be a wise decision." Yami answered with a placid smile.

All but Anzu, Ryou and Bakura headed off to the bathroom. Yami waited outside since the men's room was already full...plus it now sounded like some sort of fight had started...Yugi proving him correct when he ran out in panic, a wet toilet paper ball flying over his head.

Yami chuckled and followed after him, though quickly lost sight of his hikari when he had to duck to avoid another paper ball some guy through at him. The guy was quick to dart back into the bathroom again the moment ruby eyes glared around at him, and he realised it wasn't _Yugi_ Mutou he'd just aimed at. Resisting the urge to teach the punk a lesson for trying to aim at his hikari, Yami turned and headed back to where everyone was lined up, presuming that's where Yugi had gone. But something stopped him, and a puzzled expression grew on his face.

Had he just heard Jounichi's voice?

Remembering that the others had said he wasn't in the bathroom when they'd checked, he turned and followed the familiar tone of his friend's voice. He quickly spotted him behind one of the classroom buildings, his back turned and his body moving in sharp, agitated moves, as if he was having a heated argument with some one...

"Will you listen already!" The blonde yelled.

Ok...so he WAS having an argument...

"To what? The incessant rambling of a mutt!" Came the harsh answer.

_'Mutt!'_

"Enough with the arrogance already money bags!"

_'Money bags!'_

The ruby eyed teen darted over to the building. There wasn't anyone in the school who'd have to see the participants of this conversation to know who they were!

"Shouldn't you be waiting in line? Or don't they allow dogs on the coach?"

Yami carefully peered around the corner. Sure enough, there was Jounichi facing away from him, talking to a very annoyed looking Kaiba.

"Enough with your smart ass remarks and stop avoiding the conversation!"

"This conversation doesn't exist, considering it's none of your business!"

"It's every bit my business! He's my...!"

Jou stopped half way as Kaiba suddenly looked past him, and Yami jumped.

_'Darn...real stealthy pharaoh...'_

Yami stepped out from behind the wall, since he'd been spotted anyway. Jou looked around, a startled look on his face.

"Sorry, am I interrupting?"

Yami could've smacked himself for saying something so dumb.

"No." Kaiba answered shortly, and went to walk past Jou.

"Kaiba." Jou spoke quickly, and grabbed the taller boy's arm.

Yami almost flinched at his friend's reckless action, even though Jou himself didn't seem to think twice as Kaiba's angry glare turned on him.

"Who's going to remove that hand? You or me?" Kaiba threatened venomously.

Jounichi still looked angry, but surprised Yami by showing some of the wisdom he often lacked, and released the brunette. Seto just walked away from him, pausing as he came in line with Yami.

"If you don't want to ride that coach, then better come now."

Yami's heart throbbed. Even though everyone had to meet at the school first, a very small group of students...including Kaiba...had been given permission to take an alternative means of travel.

"I'd like to, but I already said I would ride with Yugi." He whispered back.

Kaiba was silent, but Yami didn't miss the flare in his aura, as it made his skin tingle and almost shiver.

Had he taken that as rejection?

"I didn't say I didn't want to..." He continued quietly as he carefully reached his hand out when Kaiba began to walk away.

Unlike Jou, he didn't actually grab Seto's arm, instead, his hand just sort of rested against it, asking him to wait.

"...It's just that I gave him my word."

He could just imagine a beautiful aura of blue and white circling Seto, currently edged by a tinge of angry red. However, it felt like the red was slowly fading away.

Seto didn't push his hand away, instead just stepped around it, and walked off. When he was out of sight, Yami looked around.

"Jounichi? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah...peachy..." Jou answered, running his hand through his hair in what seemed more frustration than anger.

Before Yami could enquire further, a loud whistle rang through the area.

"Ah crud! We'd better hurry!" Jou laughed sheepishly.

He took off back towards where everyone was waiting, and after a short pause, Yami followed.

* * *

"Action!"

"Romance!"

"Comedy!"

Yami stirred from the light doze he'd slipped into. The scenery outside the coach window was completely different from the last time he'd looked, and he had absolutely no idea how much time had passed, his body clock feeling very thrown out of whack. That sometimes happened if he slept during the day.

"Aaww, I knew they were going to end up waking you..."

Yami glanced to Yugi sitting next to him, the boy giving him an apologetic smile.

"What's everyone going on about?" He finally asked, stretching his muscles.

"What movie to watch." Yugi answered, "Though if they don't hurry up, the teacher will just put a documentary on."

"What's wrong with a documentary?"

"Nothing...well, at least I don't think so. But you know what the rest of our classes think of them. Besides, the teachers always manage to find the most boring documentaries ever made! I almost fell asleep watching one about Einstein and other great scientists one time!"

"A most valid point hikari." Yami chuckled, letting his eyes close as he shifted to get comfortable.

"Probably better stay awake for now, I think I heard the teacher say we'll be taking a break soon."

"How soon?"

"About ten minutes. I was hoping to let you sleep that much longer, but I suppose this gives you time to wake up."

"True, and a break certainly does sound inviting, I need to get up and move. How long have we been going now?"

"Somewhere between three and four hours, not including that fifteen minute pit stop earlier."

"No wonder everyone is restless..."

"Yeah, but we all knew it was going to be a long trip."

Yami's eyes suddenly glanced away from Yugi, catching another pair of eyes attempting to turn away quick enough so they wouldn't be caught watching him...

...too slow.

He gave a quiet sigh as he watched Anzu, the girl staring out the window on the other side of the coach.

Even after all this time, the two were barely speaking, despite Yami's attempts to make up with her.

"This has to stop..." He whispered.

Yugi quickly followed his gaze, and then looked back sadly.

"You said you'd tried talking to her right?"

"A few times. Truth be told, I'm not even sure she's that upset about the argument itself anymore, I think she's just not going to allow herself to get over it until she finds out who I'm seeing."

"Would Anzu do that?"

"I don't know, but I've seen her watching me sometimes when I go away from the group. Heck, I think she might have even followed us home one day from school."

"That seems a little extreme for someone like Anzu..." Yugi said uncertainly.

"I know Hikari; I'm really unsure what's going on in her head at the moment."

A loud bang from the back made them all jump and look around.

"Ishita! If there is one more disturbance from you, you'll be sent straight home at the next stop! And that also applies to you Honda and Jounichi!" The teacher scolded loudly.

Malik gave a sheepish grin from the back, holding the burst green balloon in his hand, Jou and Honda trying not to laugh.

Yami looked back to the front and slouched in his seat, before linking his mind to Yugi's. They rarely used their mind link since their bodies had separated; mostly due to the fact that it was extremely difficult if they were more than a few metres away from each other...they could really only do so when close like they were now...

_'I should have just accepted the offer for a ride from Kaiba, and asked if you could sit in the back.'_

Yugi laughed next to him, before answering.

_'Please Kaiba...I'll be extra quiet so you and Yami can have some time together...'_

Yami nudged him with his shoulder, and the two laughed again.

* * *

When the long trip was finally over, the students were rewarded for their patience...or in the case of most, lack of...by the sight of the vast ocean spreading out like a massive, glittering blue field to their right. Even Yami had been somewhat mesmerised by its beauty. It also pleased him greatly to see Anzu finally looking happy again, and though his may have just been out of relief, even Bakura allowed a very faint smile.

The bus passed through a small town, and continued up a hill that gave an even greater view, until it finally came to a stop in front of a casual but nice looking hotel, where they would be staying.

They grouped together once they were allowed to get off.

"Alright everyone, this is how it's going to work! You'll be divided into your groups you've already been assigned to...I presume there are a few of you who don't remember your groups...if so, put your hands up now!"

The instructions came to a pause as a few people indeed had to be reminded.

"Anyway..." The teacher finally continued, "After that, each group will be given the key to their room, and you will go put away your belongings. You will then come back down and meet in the lobby for one last head count. After that, the afternoon will be yours to spend as you see fit, but everyone is to return to the hotel by sundown. There will be no climbing on the rocks at the beach, and the forest area is off limits...we'll be taking a tour through there in two days anyway...and whilst this town is small, there is plenty to do...no one is to leave the town...even if the next one is only a ten minute bus ride away! Tonight, we will meet for dinner in the dining hall at seven, at which time we will discuss tomorrow's activities. Everyone is to be in their rooms by nine thirty, and lights out is at ten. No exceptions!"

"Ten? I thought this was supposed to be a vacation?" Jounichi moaned.

"Those of you who arranged for guests, you'll need to wait here at the hotel until they arrive. Please group over here if you have to wait, as we'll need to check in your guests as well."

The students split, most heading to check in and put their belongings away, a small cluster remaining outside.

"Thanks for this Yami, I really appreciate it." Malik said as they waited.

"Not at all." Yami replied, smiling at his friend.

"Man, where are they? They did leave just after us right?" Jou spoke as he scanned the area.

"Do you think they got lost when the coach took one of its pit stops?" Ryou suggested.

"Maybe…" Jou answered a little anxiously, before frowning as he glanced over his shoulder, "By the way…YOU TWO aren't obligated to stay!"

"Who? Us?" Honda answered casually.

"We're just keeping our friends company…is that a crime?" Otogi answered in the same sort of tone.

"In this case it should be…" Jou grumbled.

A loud horn made them look around, as a fancy red sports car pulled up in the parking lot. Otogi and Honda both pushed around Jou, their faces lighting up almost like children.

"Hey everyone! Sorry to make you wait!" The driver called, her long golden hair shining in the bright sunlight.

"Hey Mai." Anzu answered, a little less enthusiastically, but only because her friend had been just loud enough to be a bit embarrassing.

In the passenger's seat sat Shizuka, her hair shining almost as much as Mai's, and in the back were Isis and Rishid.

"Great, they made it." Malik sighed with relief.

It was clear he'd been worried about his older siblings.

"Oniisan!" Shizuka called happily as she got out of the car.

"Shizuka!" Jounichi greeted in return, his eyes going soft in the way they only did when he saw his sister.

The look he reserved for his sister… it reminded Yami of how Seto reserved his truest emotions only for Mokuba's eyes, and as Jou fought to stop Honda and Otogi from stealing the first hug from Shizuka that was rightfully his, Yami stared hopefully around the car park, but couldn't see Kaiba's car or limo. He craned his neck a little, trying to see down the hill, hoping for the possibility that a car could be just arriving.

No such luck.

"Come on Yami! We can go sign in now!" Yugi called to him.

"Yeah! And the sooner we sign in, the sooner we can hit the beach!" Jou added.

"Thankyou for allowing me to be your guest on this trip Yami." Rishid spoke, holding his hand out, which Yami gladly shook.

"You should be here just the same as any of us."

"Same here Anzu, I owe ya one." Mai thanked with a wink.

"No problem. I'm just glad to have some female room mates." Anzu answered, sounding as relieved as she said.

"I still feel a little guilty for not telling grandpa that we were each allowed to invite one guest. Think he'll be angry?" Yugi said with a wink to Yami, not looking the least bit guilty really.

"Yugi, we paid for him to spend a few days at that golf club he said he really likes. Do you honestly think he's going to be upset about missing out on a six hour drive to the beach, where there's a bunch of loud, energetic teenagers running around?" Yami answered, winking back.

He felt Yugi quickly open their mind link.

'_At least this way we don't have to worry about grandpa perving on Anzu and the other girls.'_

Both boys laughed again.

"You know, I really hate it when you two do that. Share the joke around!" Malik whined playfully, knowing all about the mind link.

Everyone else just joined in laughing.

As the others headed inside, Yami took one more hopeful glance around, only to be disappointed again, and turned to follow his friends.

* * *

"I should have known better…"

"Whoa, Malik…take it easy…"

"How am I suppose to take it easy!"

"Just calm down. It's no big…HEY! What do you two think you're looking at!"

Jounichi temporarily forgot about Malik…who was fuming about the other male students gawking at his sister in her golden swimsuit…when he noticed Otogi and Honda swooning over Shizuka, who was in a beautiful pink and white swimsuit. He jumped up and tackled both of them into the sand.

Yami tried to ignore the commotion from where he was sunbaking, loving the warmth on his skin, grateful that there was a light breeze to make the heat enjoyable rather than too hot.

"Yami…"

"I already put sunscreen on Yugi." He answered quickly without opening his eyes.

"How about your back?"

Rubies crept open slightly, and a small grumble left the teen, since he couldn't deny he'd forgotten.

"If you dare put it directly on my spine again…" He warned as he rolled onto his stomach.

"Yami…after the bruise your reaction gave me last time, do you really think I'd make that mistake again?"

"Maybe."

"Come on, it's not like I meant to make you jump!"

"And I didn't intend to kick you in the head."

Yugi just grumbled a little, before pouring some of the sunscreen into his hand.

Yami flinched slightly as he felt the cold substance make contact with his warm back, but other than that, he didn't react, quickly relaxing as Yugi rubbed it into his skin.

However, a face full of sand ruined the short moment of peace. He sat up fast, rubbing his eyes. He could hear Yugi spluttering beside him, the small boy obviously having been caught in the firing line as well.

Both Amethysts and rubies glared up at the wrestling match still going on.

"Yugi… I think I'm going to go explore the town for awhile…" Yami eventually sighed.

"I might go get some quiet reading time in our room whilst no one else is in there." Yugi sighed in return.

Both boys snuck away from their very distracted friends, and headed back to the hotel. After a quick rinse in the shower, Yami changed into a pair of alternatively loose black pants, and a black singlet. He gave a quick wave and smile to Yugi, who was laying in his bed, already too indulged in his book to notice.

Yami just smiled, un offended, and headed back out. He took a quick glance to the sky, and presumed he had at least a few hours before it got too dark for him to be out.

He took his time getting down the steep hill, but changed to a brisk walk once his feet found flat ground. The town was quite a pleasant appearing place. Tranquil and only boasting what it needed, such as a supermarket, a police station, post office etc.

At least that's how it looked at first. Just when he was beginning to wonder how fun everyone else would find such a sleepy little town, he came across a street that must have been meant to cater for the younger generation of the town, and tourists. There was a small cinema, an arcade, shopping centre, park and library.

They were all like miniature versions of the ones you'd find back in Domino city, but that just made them a perfect fit for this town.

Looking between the choices, he was about to select the library, when something caught his attention. A rhythmic pounding that he felt his heart slowly synchronise with. The music enticed him, and though he probably could have, he didn't ignore it. He followed its melody down the street, and let it gently stop him outside what appeared to be a small club.

Both intrigued and confused, he carefully pushed open the door.

What greeted him both made his heart flutter, and seemed to blow him away.

A small group of people were dancing around an open dance floor, and not just any dancing…

They were Latin dancing!

Some had excellent technique, like they'd been doing this for awhile, whilst others seemed more like beginners, though they still shared the same high spirits as the more experienced dancers.

The music that had drawn him there still pounded away, guiding the dancers with its powerful yet enchanting rhythm. A rhythm that couldn't and wouldn't be denied. Its sweet spell filled Yami's mind and soul…

…but…

"Oh! I'm sorry sir! The club is actually closed until six!"

He gasped and glanced around swiftly.

"I'm afraid this is just a private lesson, sorry for…" The man spoke as he walked towards Yami.

Both froze as their eyes met.

He may not have been in his uniform, but Yami couldn't mistake the waiter who had served him and Seto that first night at the restaurant. They'd been there again a few times between then and now, but it had always been someone else who served them.

"H-hey… it's…" The waiter paused for a moment, "…_Yami _Mutou…right?"

"That's right. And your name was Akio…correct?" Yami replied a bit calmer, but still with the awkward tinge.

"Yeah, that's right." The red head answered, now giving an awkward grin, "This is certainly unexpected. What brings you so far from Domino city?"

"Oh, I'm just here on a school trip." Yami answered, relaxing slightly, "And yourself?"

"Oh I'm just here on a…wait…school trip!"

"Yes…"

"But…! But didn't you and Se…uuuhh…Kaiba, go to the same school?"

"We do."

The boy flinched back, before exhaling deeply, and scratching the back of his head.

"Well…this is a problem…I thought the school came here a few weeks back?"

"They rearranged the whole trip at the last minute. What's the problem exactly?"

"Dang…and here I arranged my visit plenty of time after you guys were meant to have gone home." Akio answered, looking away as if contemplating something.

Yami decided to speak a little more boldly.

"Are you worried about Kaiba seeing you here?"

Akio gave another awkward grin, before looking around, and suddenly pulling Yami into a room.

"You heard who I am to Seto, right?" He asked quietly once he knew the door was shut.

"His cousin?"

"Yeah."

"I have been wondering about that. I thought the Kaiba brothers didn't have any other relatives."

"Well, they didn't know they had a cousin for most of their lives…in fact, they only found out a few years back."

Akio opened a mini fridge and took out two sodas, throwing one to Yami.

"Quick question. Is Seto in town yet?" He asked as he sat next to the ruby eyed teen.

"Well…he was travelling separate to the rest of us. I haven't seen him yet." Yami answered, annoyed that he'd let the disappointment slide into his voice.

"Anyway, tell me Yami. Would you at all believe I was Seto's cousin if I didn't tell you?" Akio answered with a playful grin.

"I'm afraid I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't heard Kaiba himself say it." Yami answered, returning the grin.

Akio just laughed.

"Fair enough. Wait a minute…_Kaiba_? You guys aren't using first names yet?"

Yami felt his face heat right up, and quickly looked away.

"Hey, forget I asked. If you guys aren't up to that yet, then it's no big deal. It's gotta be pretty tricky being both rivals and boyfriends."

Yami felt himself flinch.

"Huh? Whoops…you guys not using that word either? I thought you were official?"

"W-we are…it's just…" Yami stuttered.

Sure he'd privately been calling Seto his since they'd officially started going out. But he'd never actually used the word boyfriend. Neither had Seto…it hadn't really crossed his mind.

"Don't worry about it, you'll get there. One step at a time right?" Akio said reassuringly.

"Well, that's how I try to see it." Yami answered.

"What's wrong? You still not sure about how Seto feels?"

"I can rarely tell what's on his mind. It's frustrating." Yami admitted.

"Hey, have some faith. Trust me, if Seto wasn't interested, he'd never have let something 'official' start between you two."

Yami blinked up in surprise, before feeling his heart grow warm, and a soft smile appeared.

"You're right, he wouldn't. Thankyou, Akio."

The boy just grinned again, and took a mouthful of soda. Yami copied him, before looking around again.

"May I ask how you came to meet Seto? You said he didn't know you existed for a long time?"

Akio scratched his head, as if thinking about the topic.

"Hmm...well, where do I start? I guess I should explain that the reason he didn't know I existed was because of our parents."

"Your parents?"

"Well, our whole family to be exact. No one ever really kept in contact with anyone outside their immediate family. I only ever really knew my parents...I occasionally saw my grandparents, but that was mostly just at Christmas and stuff. It wasn't just one way either...my grandparents hardly made an effort to see me more often. Anyway, because of that, I never saw Seto or Mokuba when we were kids. I knew that I had cousins, but I didn't even know their names, or even if they were boys or girls...or even that there was two of them for that matter! Anyway, I guess I grew up not too worried about it...you learnt quickly in my family not to bother yourself with questions about those you hardly ever saw. One day though in high school, I had to do a family tree project. I already knew it wouldn't be any good asking my parents...they wouldn't help me with it even for school, so I did my own research in private. I'd known my mother had a sister, so I learnt about her family, and that's when I finally learnt that my cousins were two brothers who'd lost both their parents at a young age, and been placed in an orphanage..."

Akio trailed of for a moment, his silence reflecting the suddenly sad look in his eyes.

"That was the first time I began to question my family's ways. Why hadn't they taken my cousins in? We were doing pretty well for ourselves...we always had...it's not like we couldn't have taken care of them. After a bit more research, I finally came across their names. I'm sure you can imagine my surprise when I discovered the oldest brother to have the same name as the new young leader of the Kaiba corp. company. At first I thought it was just a coincidence...so I researched Seto Kaiba himself...not really my style...but I had to know for sure. Well, I checked over and over and over...but it always led to one conclusion. Seto Kaiba was my cousin."

"What did you do then?" Yami asked, unable to help himself, feeling like a small child listening to a story.

"What else? I denied it." Akio chuckled.

He laughed at Yami's startled look.

"Don't panic…our tale doesn't end there…"He continued playfully, "I denied it…for awhile. Eventually though, I gave up on trying to find some other explanation, and just felt happy that I'd finally found my cousins. I didn't actually care who they were…just for the fact that I actually knew who they were! Does…that make sense?"

"Yes, I think so." Yami answered.

"Then continuing…I didn't do much about it for some time, I was content with just the knowledge of having found my cousins. However, I've never been good at leaving things alone or unfinished, so after a few months, I couldn't take it anymore, and became desperate to actually meet my cousins! THAT'S when I started to care about just who they were. I mean, I would have been nervous enough if Seto had been an average teenager living a normal life…but he was the president of a million dollar company! It's not like I had anyone to help back me up…"

"Heh…that…was a bit of a 'grand' plan." Yami chuckled.

"Well everyone always told me I dreamt too big…not that I ever listened to them."

"So, how did it go?"

"You can't guess?"

"…not good…?"

"If you want to put it in a most basic, polite way, then yes, not good. I didn't live in Domino City back then, but I couldn't tell my parents why I was going there, so I used the end of the exam period at school as an excuse. I told them I needed a quick get away to clear my head before the next semester at school started. Well luckily for me, I'd never been dishonest with my parents before, and as far as they were concerned, I still knew nothing about my extended family, and had no concern about it…so even though I felt guilty about it, I was able to get away without them getting suspicious. It was the first time I'd been to Domino City, and I have to say I liked it from the start, although the mere sight of the Kaiba corp. building was immediately intimidating."

The boys glanced up as they heard laughing from outside the room. Someone had slipped over, but must have been alright.

"It was terrifying, but shockingly, I was able to get a meeting with Seto. It seems I picked exactly the right time to go…he'd had a small free gap in his schedule the next day…so, when the day came, I went there, dressed the best I could. Though there were definite differences, I could quickly recognise the boy I'd seen in the pictures from back in the orphanage that I'd come across…only…he'd gotten so tall… and his eyes held such a cold look. The boy in the pictures had much gentler eyes..."

"Meeting Seto Kaiba for the first time can be daunting." Yami agreed.

"Tell me about it. Lets see, I guess to summarise what happened…I introduced myself…he instantly seemed angry to hear my last name…I explained how I'd found out about him…he said that he and his brother lost any family they had when they were kids, and that he didn't have time for frauds."

Yami was on his feet before he'd realised, startling Akio.

"He didn't!"

Akio blinked rapidly, before giving an understanding smile.

"He did…but he had his reasons. Come on, sit down and I'll finish."

Knowing he'd over reacted, Yami took a breath and sat back down.

"So as you can see, my first meeting with Seto didn't go so well. I hadn't been expecting a big family reunion or anything, but I was confused by just how rejecting he'd been. But I didn't know the truth at that time."

"What truth?" Yami whispered, feeling a sense of dread.

Akio's smile had faded, and Yami was actually shocked to see anger in the boy's eyes. It wasn't flaring…more just like burning embers.

"That my family…really did abandon them."

There was a silence for a moment, before Akio continued.

"I stayed in Domino city for the week, and I tried twice more to contact Seto so I could find out why he didn't even want to give me a chance. The first time I tried arranging another meeting…no dice. The second time I actually dared to call him…well, that was the first time I'd ever had an argument over the phone. It was anything but pleasant…but…at least I finally found out what I needed to know."

Yami remained quiet, even as Akio stared to the ceiling, this time, his eyes holding a strong look of pain, even though he was smiling.

"Sorry…it's just I can't forget what he said to me during that conversation…"

Yami felt himself draw back suddenly.

"Akio…you don't have to…" He began, feeling like he was suddenly intruding too far into others lives.

"Actually…would you mind?" Akio spoke up, meeting the ruby eyes, "I've never been able to repeat it to anyone, even though it hurts to even think about."

Yami was surprised by the genuine plea in the boy's voice, and though a little unsure, he felt a small sense of honour that he would be asked such a thing.

"Alright."

Akio gave a grateful smile, before looking down, clearly nervous to repeat the memory.

"As I said, it…wasn't pleasant…"

"_If I have to warn you to stop pestering me one more time, I'll be calling security to remove you from my concern!"_

"_Please, wait, Seto…"_

"_What did I say about that!"_

"_Sorry! Sorry! But Kaiba…please wait…tell me why you're so angry? I don't understand, I told you I don't know very much about what happened when I was a kid…my family never told me anything, and I'm sick of being in the dark about it."_

"_And so because we're somehow related, that obligates me to tell you does it!"_

"_No I wasn't saying that! I just want to know. Honestly, I'd ask my family if I thought they'd answer me, but there's no chance of it."_

"_You want to know the truth so bad!"_

"_Yes…please…"_

"_Very well, if it'll shut you up. When Mokuba and myself lost both our parents, YOUR parents and the rest of that so called family of ours moved in…took our inheritance and any possessions they wanted for themselves, and dumped us off at the orphanage!"_

"…_K…Kai…"_

"_So, were you expecting that answer? You said you wanted the truth right? Well there it is…the blunt, unsweetened truth."_

"_Kaiba I…"_

"_YOU have your answer, so now I better not have to hear from you again! But deliver a message to those parents of yours…tell them that it doesn't matter that our inheritance was minuscule in comparison to what I earn now days…they still owe me and my brother everything they took from us! I haven't forgotten!"_

Had someone switched the air conditioner on? The room suddenly felt so very cold.

Yami didn't know what to say, he knew he shouldn't even know what he'd just been told, both the knowledge and the guilt were eating away at his chest, but after awhile, Akio gave him that warm, reassuring smile once more.

"Don't worry, the story ends a little happier than that."

He took his time as he had another drink.

"That call took place the day before I left, and after learning what I had, I was actually willing to give up on trying to connect with my cousin. I didn't know if it really was true or not, I was at the stage of questioning wether my parents were capable of such a thing. But I was a coward, after I returned home, I didn't question them straight away, I just continued to debate with myself over it. Luckily though, one day I managed to get the kick in the butt I needed. I saw my mum putting on some jewellery…not usually a big deal, jewellery was her obsession…it was the box she got one of her necklaces out of that caught my attention. She had so much jewellery that she had multiple boxes, but for some reason I could actually remember when she'd brought this particular box home, where the rest I couldn't. It hadn't bothered me for years, but this time when I looked to it, I remembered how odd things had seemed at the time. My parents had been out somewhere for the day, and didn't come home until night time. It was raining, and my mum was complaining when they walked in. I was still kinda young back then, so it's a little hard to remember, but my father was carrying a cardboard box of stuff, and my mum was carrying a small but beautiful dark blue box. I remember thinking at the time it had beautiful designs on it, exactly the kind of thing my mum would like…but the funny part was, she was saying stuff like _"At least she had one stroke of good taste!" _and _"Now this can be put to good use! She just better not have damaged it in any way!"_

Akio's drink can could be heard denting under his clenching fingers.

"Back then those words were just confusing, meaningless parent talk, but where I couldn't remember any other item from her little collection, I always remembered that box, even if I didn't concern myself with it. But that night, already a month after my trip to domino city, those meaningless words all became very clear very quickly. It horrified me, and I still didn't want to believe it. I still debated, because there was no solid proof, but it stayed with me the whole night we were out celebrating my father's promotion at work or whatever it was…somehow I don't even remember that part. Anyway, after we got home, I finally decided to bite the bullet and ask…

"_Mother, Father, may I speak to you?" Akio asked as he walked in the door after his parents._

"_What is it Akio?" His mother replied as she sat heavily on the couch._

"_Is it important son? Your mother had a little too much wine and needs to sit down." His father put in._

"_I'm quite fine thankyou!" The clearly tipsy woman argued._

"_Yes father, it is important." Akio answered, managing to keep his voice calm._

"_Very well, go on then."_

_The teenager looked down, actually frightened to speak._

"_Akio? I thought this was important? Why are you hesitating?"_

"_Forgive me. You see, I'd like to be honest with you both about something…but then, there's something I'd like to ask you both, and I'd appreciate an honest answer." He finally spoke, finding his courage, though his body was shaking slightly._

"_You know I only tolerate honesty in this house Akio, but very well, what is it you'd like to discuss?" His father replied, his eyes narrowing slightly at the seriousness of his son's voice._

"_I want to tell you both that my visit to Domino city had more purpose than merely some recovery time from exams…"_

_His parents were silent, waiting for him to continue. He took a deep breath._

"_I…I went to visit my cousins."_

"That silence had to be the worse one I've ever endured."

"Akio…"

"Hold on, I'll loose it if I stop now…"

"_That…that's absurd Akio, you don't even know who your cousins are." His mother finally shouted out, her voice louder thanks to the alcohol, though there was a laugh in her voice as if she really did think he was joking._

"_Seto and Mokuba Kaiba! Seto is just two years younger than me, but far taller and more mature, and Mokuba is five years younger than Seto. He's still very young, but has learnt a lot and is incredibly loyal to his brother!"_

_This time his parent's silence was clearly from shock._

"_I'm sorry for not being honest about my intentions, but now I want you both to be honest with me. Is it true what I've found out? Did our family really abandon them when they needed our help?"_

"_That's enough Akio. I don't know where you think you can get off speaking to your mother and I like that, but this…" His father began sternly._

_But Akio felt a bubble of anger in his stomach, like water when it just first began to boil._

"_This conversation is not over father! I want the truth for once! You say you value honesty, and yet you've never told me the truth about my family! Did you really take the money that was supposed to be left to them?"_

_The sound of flesh striking flesh rang through the room, and it took a moment for Akio to even register his mother's hand on his cheek._

"_You're father said that's enough, and I must agree, this is making my head hurt. I think you should go to bed now son, it's been a long day."_

_And now the water was truly beginning to boil…_

"_So…so when you don't want to answer…you just smack me and send me to my room…like I'm a child or something…?" Akio whispered in a cold tone he'd never heard himself use before._

"_Do as your mother says!" His father bellowed, his voice demanding control._

"Well I did what my mother said, but not because she told me to, but because I suddenly couldn't stand to be in the same room as my parents."

"So it really was true then?"

"There was no doubt in my mind about it after they refused to be honest with me. I locked myself in my room and cried over it. I couldn't stand any of it, and there came times when I didn't want anything to do with them. I kept to myself for some time after that, using the cover of 'focusing on my studies'. Despite our argument, they seemed to buy it, since they were pretty strict about the whole education thing, and they probably didn't think I'd dare go against them again. I admit I did study a bit, it was a good distraction, but when my parents weren't home, I would sneak around the house and find out whatever more I could, and I especially tried to see if I could remember back to that night, and what I'd seen my parents carry in. To this day I don't know if I found everything they took, but I made mental notes of things I figured out they'd taken from my cousins, so then finally, one day, when my parents went on a picnic with their friends…hmph…they kept more in touch with friends that with family…I raced around the house and collected everything I could, and I left, catching the quickest train I could to domino city."

"You really would take such a risk?"

"Until then, I never thought I would. It was like a rage I hadn't even known about had been laying dormant inside me, and now it was finally erupting. As you can imagine, it wasn't any easy act going back to Kaiba Corp. I thought for sure Kaiba would have me arrested this time…"

"_Please let me pass!"_

"_Not a chance brat!"_

"_Stop resisting!"_

"_Kaiba please listen to me!"_

"_Stop yelling at the camera kid, you look ridiculous! The president can't hear you from here!"_

_Akio stared desperately at the security camera sitting on top of the wall, struggling not to drop the box of items he was carrying as the guards pulled him around._

"_Seto please! I'm sorry, I'm really sorry! I didn't come here to cause you trouble, I just wanted to return what's yours!"_

"_What is this kid talking about?"_

"_Who knows? I think its time we took that box off him though."_

"_NO! Keep your hands off of it! It doesn't belong to you!" Akio yelled defensively, pulling the box away as one of the guards reached for it._

"_Look punk, it's our job to check strange items brought into the area, and your behaviour is just making you look more suspicious right now!"_

"_Kaiba…please…I know I shouldn't have come back, but I wanted…I wanted to apologise! I know it doesn't mean much coming from me…but since my family never seems to plan to say it…I'm…I'm sorry."_

"_That's it, get this kid out of here!."_

"_I'm sorry you and your brother had to suffer, and that we weren't a real family to you. I know it can never make up for what happened, but please, I just want to give back what I know my family took from you!"_

"_Get moving brat! I told you he can't hear you!"_

"_I promise it's the only reason Kaiba! My family doesn't know I'm here! This isn't a trick! Will you guys let me go! OOF!"_

_The ground was harder on the side of his face than he would have expected._

"_Ha, that's better, you look good down in the dirt where you belong kid!" One of the guards mocked cruelly, the other just laughing._

_Akio felt his anger growing again, as he sat back up._

"_You're serious? That was so corny coming from a security guard."_

"_Watch your attitude kid!" The guard yelled, angry once more, and grabbed a handful of the boy's red locks._

"_AAH! Let my hair go you idiot! That hurts!"_

"_Good!" The guard grumbled, and began dragging him across the ground._

"_What are you doing! This is ridiculous! OUCH!"_

_The other side of his face felt the sting this time as he was literally thrown out through the gates._

"_And stay out you little punk! Don't let us catch you here again, or you'll loose more than just a few strands of hair!"_

"_No! Let me back in! Please!" He cried out, sitting up once again._

"_Just ignore the brat, maybe he'll scurry back off to where ever he came from."_

_Akio glared through the gates of the Kaiba Corp grounds as the guards walked away, desperation vivid on his face. He rested his head on the cool metal bars, as cold and unwelcoming as the guards behind it. He knelt there, one hand clutching a bar until it hurt, the other wrapped tightly around the box holding the items he'd brought with him._

"Huh? Come in!"

A girl peered in through the door.

"Akio? Is everything alright? Will you be long?"

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

"ok. Sorry to interrupt."

She left the room, and Akio looked back to Yami.

"Bet you're wondering what the heck I did then huh?"

"Naturally." Yami answered playfully.

"Then onto the dramatic conclusion of this story!"

"We're only just getting to the drama?"

Both boys cracked up laughing.

_Akio barely heard his phone ringing over the noise of the city and the distraction that his failure caused in his mind, but eventually, he stopped walking like a zombie…which he'd been doing for about an hour or two now…and looked to his pocket. After a moment which he must have used to register it properly, he pulled his phone out, and opened it._

"_H…hello?"_

"_Akio! Where are you!"_

"_D…d…dad?"_

"_What the heck is going on Akio! Why did we come home to find you and various items around the house missing yesterday afternoon!"_

_Akio suddenly felt his strength returning. It was weak, but non the less, defiant._

"_Because I took them and came to Domino city to return them!"_

_He was no longer afraid to admit it. He didn't care to say sorry for it either._

"_You did what! You stole from your mother and I? What's gotten into you Akio!"_

"_Who knows? Perhaps the same thing that got into you two the day you stole from my cousins. I am your son after all."_

"_Do not take that tone with me young man!"_

"_I'm not a child anymore father! I'm not just going to be quiet and accept only what you tell me! I never wanted to betray you and mum, but you betrayed me first by keeping the truth from me!"_

_There was silence on the other end for a moment, before…_

"_Your right son, you're not a child anymore…"_

"_Father?"_

"_I think this event has proven that you're looking for independence, and that you're quite capable of making your own decisions. It sounds to me like your ready to take care of yourself."_

_Akio's stomach dropped heavily._

"_Father…what are you saying? Don't tell me you're…"_

"_Your mother will be so disappointed…you know she had high hopes for you son."_

"_Father you can't kick me out because of this! I was trying to do what was right!"_

"_Akio if you want to be forgiven for your actions, then you need to prove your loyalty to your parents."_

"_My wha…?"_

"_Return here immediately, and bring the items you stole. You will apologise to us, and promise to never question our actions again, or go against our word. Do I make myself clear…son?"_

_Akio didn't respond right away, the shock filling him, his mouth going dry as he finally answered._

"_Perfectly…father…"_

"_Good, then come home as quickly as possible. Do that, and I may even over look punishing you for…"_

"_Isn't it too late for that…?"_

"_Excuse me?"_

"_The alternative to loosing my home is to loose my will and choice in my life. Either way, I'm being punished for something…"_

"_Now see here…!"_

"_But you know the worse punishment of all? Finding out that…I'm nothing more than a possession to my parents…and if I don't turn out the way they want, they're willing to just let me go. I always wanted to be the perfect kid for you both, but how can I be the successful person you push me to be…if I can't make my own choices? Or be allowed to make mistakes to learn from? Part of me wishes I didn't feel this way…but yet after all this, I can't help but say…I love you and mum…but…I'm not sorry."_

_Without another word, Akio hung up the phone, and slide backwards down the wall he hadn't noticed he'd come to rest against._

_What now?_

_No he didn't want to see his parent's faces right now, but that didn't mean he wanted to follow their little tradition of dropping all contact as soon as he lived on his own._

"_I guess it was inevitable…" He whispered to no one, his eyes beginning to burn._

_The sounds of the streets of the evening were a blur in his ears. He could barely distinguish as he heard footsteps coming closer. Was someone coming to him? To see why he was just sitting against a wall along the side way? Would they ask why hot tears were trailing down his face?_

_He couldn't have cared, let whatever happened happen…_

"_Perhaps you're not as pathetic as you first appeared."_

_That voice was like a call to attention, and he raised his eyes to see the owner._

"_None the less, still pretty pathetic." Kaiba finished, crouching beside him._

"_Se…uh…Kai…Kaiba?" Akio stuttered out, trying to shuffle around._

_He felt a jolt as the CEO began looking through the box that sat at his side._

"_Do you know what this is…?" He whispered low, as he held up the beautiful box the red head had swiped from his mother's room._

"_I…I uh…" Akio stuttered out, unable to help feeling some sort of dread at his cousin's presence, but after a moment, it seemed to drain away, and he looked down, "All I know is…my mother came home with it one night when I was a kid, and she added it to her collection of jewellery boxes…"_

"_She put jewellery in this!"_

_Akio flinched and looked back around._

"_Y…yes…"_

_Kaiba was staring at him very intensely, fury in his eyes. However, he rather suddenly turned his attention back to the cardboard box, and began searching through the items again._

"_Uh…Kaiba…?" Akio began._

"_How about this one?" He questioned, this time surprising Akio as he held out a cute, pudgy green dragon plushie that shrank away in the brunette's large hand._

"_That? I've had that since…well, my parents brought it home the same night my mum brought home the box. I think they were planning to give it to the dog, so I grabbed it from the box when they weren't looking and kept it in my room. I don't know why, I just…"_

_He broke off as again, the fierce blue eyes glowed in rage._

"_This…just happened to be Mokuba's favourite toy when he was a child." Kaiba whispered low, "He lost it just after our father died, and wasn't able to find it before we were carted off to that orphanage!"_

_Akio could feel his eyes widening in shock. Mokuba's favourite toy? And his parents had been planning to let it become a chew toy?_

_He looked down, knowing he shouldn't have felt the shame he was, but he couldn't help it._

"_Kaiba? Why…why are you here?" He suddenly mumbled, glancing up slightly._

"_I have direct link to the Kaiba corp. security cameras in my office, I can watch anywhere I want whenever I want. How could I not notice you yelling and screaming at the gates? It was seriously distracting."_

_Before Akio could answer, he held up the blue box again, with surprising delicateness the red head just now noticed._

"_I was waiting for them to get you off the grounds, but I noticed this in your little stash, so I came to claim what's mine."_

_His voice was cold, but after a moment, Akio managed a very weak smile._

"_Go ahead. I got everything I could figure out was yours, I'm sorry if anything is missing…and…I'm sorry about your inheritance. I'd offer to work to pay you back…but…I don't want to get under your skin anymore than I already have."_

_He pushed his heavy body back up, trying not to let his legs shake too much. He gave another weak smile._

_"Sorry for all the fuss." He whispered, and began to walk past the CEO._

_"And just where do you plan to go?"_

_Akio looked around in surprise at the question, but gave an innocent smile._

_"Home of course."_

_"Which is where?" Came the quick answer._

_Too quick...as if Kaiba hadn't believed him. Akio felt himself caught off guard, unsure what to say._

_" I did happen to hear your little conversation just now. Just where exactly are you planning to go if this is the choice you made?"_

_Akio flinched, and looked away._

_"Who knows? I'll be fine though. I just gotta get a job, and rent a cheap apartment, it'll be no swe..."_

_He was cut of by Kaiba grabbing the back of his shirt, and pushing him forward. He turned to face him, but found the box of items shoved into his arms before he could answer._

_"If you think I'm going to have your pitiful ass leaving me indebt, then think again. Get in!" Kaiba growled, before shoving his cousin harshly over to where his limo was parked._

_Akio found himself in the vehicle before he knew it. He glanced around as the taller boy got in after him, and ordered the driver to return home._

"He took me back to his place, and even introduced me to Mokuba. I'll never forget the way those great big grey eyes lit up when he saw that dragon plushie, I think he almost cried."

Yami couldn't help but smile at Akio's expression. The boy finally seemed to have hit the happy ending of the story.

"He let me stay there, the condition being that I didn't get under his feet, and he actually gave me a job in the kaiba corp. cafeteria. Sure, it doesn't sound all that pleasant, but the people there were actually pretty nice, and although it was the first time I'd ever had a real job, I didn't actually mind the work, in fact there were times I enjoyed it, dirty dishes and all."

"Did Kaiba make you repay his inheritance like you suggested?" Yami asked.

"Heck no. If I even hinted at bringing the topic up he gave me the scariest look ever! No, I just worked there until I could afford to do an apprenticeship in hospitality. Once I did that, I worked at a couple of restaurants, until I wound up at _'Pandora's Secret'. _Oh, I should mention I went through a few apartments in there, until I finally found the one I liked."

He stood and stretched, throwing his already empty can in the bin.

"And so that's my life story…did I succeed in boring you to sleep?" He teased.

"I'm afraid not." Yami chuckled back, and also stood, placing his own drink down.

"Darn, guess I should have added all the lame stuff about school as well." Akio joked, shrugging as he opened the door, "Since you're here, care to join us?"

Yami froze at the sudden unexpected request.

"Oh…uhh…no, thankyou…that's fine."

A sly grin suddenly appeared on the red head's face.

"Another one shy about his personal likes hey? Come on, I already saw the expression on your face when you walked into the club."

Before the past life pharaoh could say anything, he felt himself being dragged out of the room, and back to where everyone was dancing. He tensed fiercely as he watched them. Yes his body begged to join them, to just let loose to the music.

But…he hadn't danced in ages, not since that incident in the tent at the carnival…any time he'd tried had only reminded him of that.

"Hey."

He glanced around at the quiet whisper.

"I know you two are probably still pretty much on the first level with each other, but…you'll take care of Seto…right?"

"Akio…" Yami whispered, unsure if he'd heard right.

"And you won't mention to him that I just spilled out our history to you right?" He added in a much louder, more casual voice, his big grin back on his face, as if he'd had a sudden personality swap.

Yami watched as he practically bounded over to the other dancers, stating loudly that they better not have had too much fun without him, one of his friends replying that it was his own fault if they had.

He couldn't help chuckling, not simply at the playful taunting of the group of friends, but also at how completely different Akio was to Seto, and yet they were cousins. Akio had been so brave, and Yami knew more than anything…that courage was what Seto had seen. He hadn't finally accepted Akio because they were related by blood, but because he had seen Akio's defiance…his strength in standing against his parents and loosing everything he had for what he believed to be right.

Actually…perhaps the two weren't quite as different as they clearly believed.

"You have my word." He quietly promised the boy, happy he could finally say with all honesty that he was grateful to have met him.

"Hey honey, you wanna come join?"

He looked around as a girl twirled over to him, and suddenly grabbed his arm. He tried to protest, but only ended up stumbling as she pulled him over to the dance floor. She giggled and danced around him, before continuing with her friends. Yami felt absolutely lost, and unsure what to do.

"Come on Yami, just let go!" Akio called from where he was dancing, "Our motto here is freedom, so drop the weight your holding onto!"

The words stayed with the ruby eyed teen as he watched everyone dance around him.

'_Freedom…'_

He could feel his body swaying, the rhythm subtly working its magic.

He remembered all the times he'd waited until both Yugi and his grandpa had gone out, before he locked himself in his room, put on a video with Latin dancing, and danced along with it. He would try to learn whatever he was able to, but more than anything, he had just enjoyed how it had always made him forget whatever had been bothering him, allowing him a short period of time in blissful serenity.

"Whoot! Yeah Yami! Go for it!"

All at once his body dropped the chains, and he found himself spinning around the other dancers. The girl who had pulled him out before laughed, and moved in closer to him, taking his hands, causing a faint blush to appear on his face.

"What's wrong? This your first time with a partner?" She asked with a wink.

"Yes…actually…" Yami replied, glancing away, deciding it better not to mention that wasn't the only reason for him feeling awkward.

"Hey…give him some space, let the guy show us what he can do for now." Akio spoke up, gently placing his hand on the girl's shoulder and easing her away.

Yami felt eternally grateful to Akio, who obviously understood, before he continued to dance. The music, the laughing, and the cheering from everyone embraced him, and he gladly embraced back, astounded by just how much he enjoyed having others dancing and enjoying themselves around him, considering how he'd always tried so hard to keep it a secret even from Yugi, though he still didn't know just why he did so.

How he wished this place was back in Domino City, he could come here all the time and feel the freedom Akio had spoken of. He could even laugh at the memory of the incident at the carnival. Marriku couldn't get him here, and he could dance as much as he wa…

"Ouch!"

"Ah!"

"Yami you ok! What happened!"

Yami sat up from where he'd tumbled over right on top of two of the other dancers, but he barely heard their words, his attention turning straight to the entrance, his eyes wide with shock.

"Hey, are you alright? You were doing great…" Akio spoke, crouching next to Yami, "What made you sto…"

The red head followed Yami's gaze to the door.

"Oh boy…"

'_What are you doing here? This place…why would you be here?'_

"Is it just me, or is that actually Seto Kaiba standing in our doorway?" One of the dancers spoke out loud.

Rubies followed as said CEO made his way into the room. Kaiba didn't act as if he even noticed Yami was there.

"Can I help you sir?" Akio spoke politely as someone turned the music off.

"Spare me the lame act Akio." Seto answered bluntly.

He gave a swift nod to the side, and walked off. Akio gave his friends an apologetic grin, before following the CEO. Yami watched in confusion as the two spoke in private, though all he could hear was his own heart drumming in his chest.

'_Not even Yugi knows…not even Yugi has seen…'_

He snapped out of it as he saw Akio coming back over, a more serious expression carefully hidden under a calm, relaxed one. Kaiba on the other hand was heading back out the door. Yami wasn't sure how to feel, Kaiba wasn't blind, so why was he acting like he hadn't noticed him?

"Akio…" He spoke as he quickly stood, "Thankyou…but…I think it's time I go."

Akio looked slightly caught off guard, but then gave an understanding nod.

"Right. Take care, maybe see ya around?"

"Hopefully." Yami answered honestly, before turning and sprinting back out the door.

"Kaiba!" He called once he was back out on the streets.

He caught up quickly to the CEO who took his time in stopping.

"Kaiba, what did you go in there for?"

"That's not your concern!" The brunette answered harshly, making Yami flinch in surprise.

"Kaiba, I just asked a simple question, I wasn't intending to pry…"

"Do you intend anything you do!" Kaiba interrupted, glaring around at him.

Yami was silent, not sure how to answer that outburst. The CEO turned and cupped his face in his hand, like he had a headache, making Yami forget the offence he felt for a moment, instead feeling concern.

'_It was a long trip here, and he was driving…he must be exhausted, but there's no way he'll actually say it.'_

"Listen Kaiba, I'm not sure if it's me or Akio your angry at, but if it's Akio, then don't be. He had no idea the excursion had been postponed…"

"I'm aware of that."

"But, then…" Yami began, before he sighed heavily, "…does that mean it's me your angry with?"

There was no answer, as the CEO just walked away once again.

"Kaiba, can I at least know why you're angry at me!" He yelled, now beginning to feel angry himself.

"You WANT a reason for me to be angry at you!" Kaiba suddenly yelled around at him, "Cause I'm sure I can think of a few things."

"Why do you always have to…!" Yami began as his own anger flared, before it suddenly blew out as something in Kaiba's words clicked in his mind, "…I can't tell how you're feeling…are you angry at me or not?" he asked a bit calmer.

Kaiba gritted his teeth, but turned his gaze away before Yami could catch anything else.

"As I said…is there something you want me to be angry about?" He said quietly, and for a moment, it almost sounded like an honest question.

But Yami could see as the solid shield around Kaiba returned to it's full, unforgivable force. Sometimes it seemed like he had an invisible fortress around him. Dangerous to approach, and seemingly impenetrable…

But Yami had never once believe that school yard rumour.

'_All shields have an opening, it's just a question of if you can see it or not.'_

"I looked for you at the hotel. Did something happen along the way? I didn't see your car or anything before I came out." He asked, trying to change to a calmer conversation.

"I purposely arrived late so I wouldn't have to listen to those ridiculous instructions we get every time we go anywhere. It's basic knowledge and somehow they don't think we learn it the first time." Kaiba answered plainly.

Yami managed a tiny smile at the brunette's typical attitude, though it only lasted a short time.

"I suppose it's because there are some who do actually need reminding."

Kaiba just shifted a bit, so Yami tried another approach.

"There's still some time before we have to go back. Would you like to go get a drink?"

He knew the question was pretty cliché, but it was an honest request. They may still not have learnt to relax around each other completely, but he really enjoyed the time he spent around Kaiba, and he didn't need to be taken to a big five star restaurant to be happy. He'd been hoping for a chance to spend some time with his…his…boyfriend…

Why did that word sound so foreign? Was it really ok to use it yet?

They were officially dating yes…but did that mean it was ok to refer to the blue eyed beauty in that way?

'_Why am I so afraid of a word? No…it's not being able to predict Seto's reaction to the title that makes me anxious.'_

"Not right now."

Yami felt a small stab at the sharp reply, but only let his eyebrows bend slightly in response.

"As you wish." He replied, sighing heavily.

Deciding he'd had enough exploring, Yami began to head back to the hotel, no longer in the mood for much.

He felt a familiar grip on his arm, and glanced over his shoulder.

"I didn't…" Kaiba began.

But for the second time Yami could count, the CEO cut off very sharply in his sentence, as if he'd been about to speak something forbidden.

The grip on his arm was tense, to a degree, painful, though Yami didn't notice that as much as he noticed the way Seto had frozen. Outwardly it looked like anger, but Yami knew there was something more to it.

However, he couldn't help but feel his own stab of frustration at the brunette right now, and unfortunately, he allowed it to win.

"When you're ready to face me Kaiba." He growled, and pulled his arm away.

Without even looking around, he walked off, not flinching or hesitating in his stride. It wasn't his style, but he felt like giving Kaiba a taste of his own medicine. Wether it was out of frustration, anger, fear, Yami didn't care…if he wasn't going to just come out and say what he intended, then the ruby eyed teen didn't to listen.

'_That's a lie.'_

Yami gritted his teeth, ignoring the sentimental feelings within him for now. He may have known how to shelf his pride a whole lot better than Kaiba, but that didn't mean he was going to do so willingly all the time.

No, Kaiba was like a child who refused to take his medicine, but this time Yami wouldn't accept it. The CEO would just have to endure the sour taste like he himself had had to do numerous times since this whole relationship/rivalry had started.

He was careful not to let his eyes glance back as he crossed the road, and made his way towards the hilltop hotel, clearly visible from practically anywhere in the town.

* * *

"Go fish!"

"We're playing duel monsters…how does it even cross your mind to say that?"

Jou grinned sheepishly at Otogi's sarcastic response. The two of them, plus Honda and Malik were having a tag team game of duel monsters on the floor. They'd previously been attempting to have a four way duel, which naturally only ended in a mass of confusion and arguments. Their individual personalities were also making them clash quite a bit in this attempt at a tag team, but at least the game was going somewhere…slow or not.

Ryou and Yugi were both cheering and trying to referee, constantly peeking at what cards each player had, their faces giving an amusing show of expressions each time they saw a card and calculated in their own minds what it could be used for.

Bakura on the other hand, was sitting on one of the bunks, staring at the opposite wall, looking more bored than Yami during a lecture in class.

If Yami didn't share that boredom, he'd find it funny that it was even possible to be THAT bored!

'_Poor Bakura, he really needs to find something he can enjoy besides just duelling.'_

He glanced to Rishid leaning against the wall, watching the duel. His expression showed he felt a little out of place, but at the same time, was enjoying watching his little brother having fun. His light smile spread to Yami. Rishid was a nice guy, but they didn't see much of him. According to Malik, he helped out at the museum now with Isis.

"How do you think the girl's are going?" Malik suddenly asked.

"Probably a lot better without us there." Otogi replied half like he meant it, half like it was a joke.

"Who cares?" Jou put in, "They're probably having a typical girl's sleep over…doing their hair…painting their nails…showing off their fancy clothes, and…I'll get it!"

Jou's sudden change of topic was in response to a loud knocking on the door. He stood and disappeared around the small corner the door was behind. Everyone glanced around out of curiousity, before quickly going back to their previous activity.

"And I'll place Cyber Commander face down…WAIT! I didn't just say what it was!"

"Honda…" Malik sighed, looking to his team mate.

"That's it! Both you and Jounichi are losing the plot…I think that's a clear indication that it's time to either change games or go to bed!" Otogi grumbled loudly.

"I didn't come to speak to _you!"_

Yami raised his hand quickly to stop himself hitting his head on the bunk above the one he'd been laying on, as he sat up faster than he should have. He tried to ignore the blood rush as everyone else looked to the door, no one mistaking that voice.

Jou looked back around the corner, wearing a very sour expression, before raising his hand to his ear, and making a pretend phone with his fingers.

"Excuse me Mr. Yami Mutou, there is a rich smart ass outside wishing to speak to you, would you like me to tell him your schedule is full?"

"No Jounichi, I have an opening, tell him I'll see him now." Yami replied with a sigh at his friend's actions.

He stood and wandered past the others, not looking to any of them, even though he could feel Yugi's concerned eyes upon him.

"Rich smart ass? Is he talking about Kaiba?" Otogi muttered.

"Do we know anyone else who fits that description?" Honda replied.

Yami walked around the corner, and sure enough, Kaiba was standing outside the door, looking away, though his gaze turned once he saw Yami. His look was as cold and firm as always, but Yami just returned that gaze, not feeling anything that would make it weaker or stronger. Neither spoke for a moment. It was a very strange case of deja vu, the situation was the same, but the roles were switched.

"Would you come outside?" Kaiba suddenly spoke.

His tone was coated in restraint, but Yami could catch it…the hidden note that signalled an honest request. It was so quiet that a part of him wondered if maybe he was imagining it, since he was certain no one else would hear it.

No…whilst he didn't pretend to understand Kaiba as much as he wished, he knew Kaiba was an expert at hiding any sign of weakness even when doing something that perhaps went against pride.

And he also knew, that he himself had begun learning to hear or see these silent, invisible signals.

'_No…they're not silent…or invisible…just extremely well camouflaged.'_

"And why would he want to do that now Kaiba?"

Yami glanced around. He'd almost forgotten that Jounichi was still standing there holding open the door, looking grumpy at the CEO's presence. His mind drifted back to that situation at school before they'd left that morning, but he still couldn't make sense of it…

"Thankyou Jounichi. I'll take this meeting in private thankyou."

Jou looked caught off guard by the firmness in his friend's tone.

"You sure Yami?"

"Yes." Yami answered shortly, his eyes narrowed as he felt his defences rise.

Maybe he wasn't happy at Kaiba right now, and he had no clue what Jounichi's problem was other than his usual dislike for the CEO, but as far as he was concerned, this was between him and Kaiba.

Taking the door handle, he pulled it free from Jou's grip, and pulled it shut behind him as he walked out the room. Looking to the brunette, he nodded to the side, indicating for them to go elsewhere.

Kaiba followed him as he led the way, and when they'd reached a more secluded area, Yami turned to face him sternly, his arms crossed.

"What did you want to say Kaiba?" He asked patiently, though like Kaiba had done many times before, in a way to show he wasn't there to waste time.

Kaiba closed his eyes for a moment, and sighed very lightly. Yami's heart ached as he felt something in Kaiba's aura again…the same nervousness he'd felt when he'd had to stand there strong in front of the CEO, and say what he'd wanted.

'_Come on Seto…please…stand strong…I don't want to have to walk away on you…'_

"Out in the town today…" Kaiba began.

He hesitated for a slight moment, but then Yami's heart leaped as he finally saw the strength return to the sharp sapphires in a rush, though he was careful not to let it show.

"When you asked me if I wanted to get a drink, I never said I didn't want to. I just said not right then."

Yami shifted a bit to show he was listening, but remained silent, knowing the other boy wasn't finished, and kept his ruby eyes upon him.

"I didn't want to go at that particular time. Look…tomorrow afternoon, during free time…"

Yami was sure his heart paused with his breath. How it wasn't noticeable was beyond him.

"Would you still like to go for a drink?"

It took every ounce of Yami's will power not to let a smile of pure relief spread over his face. He felt like his whole body was swelling in joy and would explode, but by some miracle, he managed to keep his features calm and collected. However, he allowed himself to relax a bit, and was about to answer, when footsteps caught his attention.

"What are you students doing out of your rooms! You know the rules! Everyone in bed by nine thirty, and its nearly ten, lights out time!" The teacher scolded firmly.

"We were just discussing some private business Kuroki sensei, we'll go back as soon as we're finished." Yami answered, realising a bit late that his tone too firm for addressing a teacher…though at that point of time, he found he didn't really care.

"Mutou san, I hope you're not talking back to me! I'm sure whatever business your discussing can wait until tomorrow, now both of you get back to…"

The teacher…quite well known around the school for his sternness, stopped in his sentence as Kaiba suddenly turned to face him.

Yami had heard plenty of stories about how Kaiba intimidated even the teachers, but this was the first time he'd ever actually seen it.

And he had to say, he could completely understand!

Kuroki was no midget, but Seto still towered over him, staring down with that lethally cold gaze of his. There was clear anger behind the ice, ready to strike like a guard dog waiting to be let off the lease. It was well controlled, but only took one little slip up to be released.

"Is this really an issue? Kuroki sensei?"

Yami would have shivered at the venomous tone…had he not had to concentrate on forcing down a laughing fit at the way Kuroki was shaking despite keeping his stern expression.

"I suppose I'll let this slip one time, providing you both get back to your rooms the moment you're done." He finally answered, turning away slightly, and Yami couldn't help but imagine him running away screaming if he didn't have his dignity to think about, "Now be fast about it!"

The clearly terrified teacher walked off, trying to keep it together, but not fooling anyone about it.

Next to him, Yami heard Seto grumble in frustration, and caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Instinctively, he reached out and caught the CEO's arm.

'_You did all that I asked of you Seto…I'm not letting you run away and make your efforts go to waste…'_

"I would like that very much Kaiba." He spoke honestly.

He felt the sapphires turn down to him, and his raised his eyes, this time, allowing a genuine smile to stay on his face. No smirks, no frowns, but an honest smile.

"I accept you're invitation for a drink tomorrow."

He released Seto's arm, knowing he'd probably just put the CEO through hell right now, and he felt guilty about that, but Seto had always emphasised about Yami's strength and lack of fear against him. Even if it hurt his pride, it's what Seto would have wanted from him…not immediate forgiveness and compliance, but to force him to show the same strength he demanded of Yami.

If Seto couldn't show the same strength, then he'd only be hurting his own pride.

Yami didn't think that way, but he could tell that's how the brunette would feel.

"Then tomorrow at the bottom of the hill, once we're given free time for the afternoon." Kaiba stated a little flatly, making Yami feel just a little worse about it, but not enough that he regretted it.

"Sounds good." He answered, and turned a bit.

Hoping to stop some of the sting he'd caused, he smirked lightly.

"Now, since you just happened to call me out of my room just before lights out, would you be descent enough to walk me back? I'm not afraid of those teachers, but unfortunately I lack one of your key features in making them back off."

His own smirk grew as he saw Kaiba's face twitch, as if trying to resist smirking at the remark about his rival's shortness, and Yami felt the air around him relax somewhat.

Unable to resist that small, cheeky spark that occasionally lit up inside him, he gently brushed past the taller male as he began walking, half smiling half smirking as he heard him begin to follow.

* * *

Malik leant right back until he was laying on the floor just so he could look around the corner when he heard the door open.

"Pharaoh's back! Everyone on your best behaviour!" He joked loudly, sitting back up.

"Quick! Hide the smokes!" Jounichi joined in, smirking widely.

"You shouldn't yell those kind of things, there's teachers roaming around." Yami answered calmly as he shut the door and walked in.

In the short time he'd been gone, Ryou and Yugi had replaced Honda and Otogi, and Malik and Jounichi had teamed up against them. A quick look to the duel mats showed both teams to be doing fairly well. Honda remained watching them, whilst Otogi had retreated to his bunk, looking ready to sleep. Bakura was still on his bunk, but was focused on a note book, writing something, though he occasionally glanced up to see how the duel was going.

"So what did Kaiba want?" Honda asked Yami as the teen sat back on his own bunk.

"Just to discuss another duel." Yami answered casually.

He'd had that excuse at the ready, though it hadn't exactly been a hard excuse to come up with.

"Is that all he wanted?" Jounichi spoke up, looking around to him.

Yami just gave Jou a politely confused look.

"What else would he want?" He answered with a shrug, patting himself on the back for how convincing it sounded.

At least it seemed to be good enough for everyone else, Yugi being kind enough to avoid eye contact with his dark half, and thus preventing himself from grinning and giving anything away.

Jounichi still looked grouchy, but didn't get another chance to speak up.

"Lights out in there!" The teacher's voice followed after the knock on the door.

"Finally!" Otogi sighed.

"Lights out doesn't promise sleep." Yami chuckled to him as he removed the thick choker from around his neck.

"A guy can dream right?" Otogi yawned, clearly already aware of what Yami was saying.

He pulled the band out of his hair, and removed his head band, vest, and the various trinkets upon his arms and around his neck, but didn't seem bothered to change to his pyjamas.

After more commotion than there should have been, and the teacher having to warn them twice to be quiet, the room was silent and dark, minus the moonlight shining in through the window.

Ryou was already sleeping and looking as adorable as any child, whilst Bakura appeared to be sleeping, but it was never really possible to tell with him.

Jou and Honda were both already snoring, Jou having not even made it a full hour before he was partly hanging off his bed. Otogi and Malik occasionally shifted in their sleep, but didn't open their eyes, whilst Rishid was as still as Bakura, and just as impossible to tell if he was awake or asleep.

Yami smiled as he watched his friends, all very different, and yet all connected. Friendship was a strange thing, who would have thought he could be such good friends with a couple of goofy characters like Jounichi and Honda, and…as he glanced back to Bakura…past enemies.

He wondered if deeper feelings could follow the same odd path, and still end up just as well.

Rubies shifted upwards as there was movement above him, and he smirked as Yugi peered down from the bunk above, grinning widely. Yami just waved his finger in a scolding way, and Yugi suppressed a giggle, winking at him.

"Good night Yami." The smaller boy whispered, before his face disappeared as he laid back down.

"Good night Hikari." Yami answered fondly, and laid back down on his back.

He waited for awhile, until he could hear Yugi's light, steady breathing that signalled he was asleep, and reached under his pillow, pulling out a cassette player and head phones.

He was tired, but eager to listen to the calming music Mokuba had given him awhile back.

Sighing in contentment, he put the headphones on and pressed play. He let his eyes drift closed as the music filled his ears…

_Brighter than the sun up high…_

_More than the stars in the sky._

_No greater light have I seen…_

_Than that which I saw,_

_When you opened your eyes._

* * *

_Yay! another chapter down!_

_I really hope is was alright? I didn't realise that explanation was going to come out so long o.o'...sorry if it got boring or anything..._

_thanks again!_

_Reviews will be loved! ^^_


	13. Chapter 13

_WAHOO! I finally got this chapter done! XD_

_Did I get this one done a little faster than others? Or is that just me? (no seriously, I can't tell! XD)_

_I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and I really hope it comes out as well as I want it to._

_Thank you to everyone who's kept up with this! ^-^_

_Anyway, please enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of it's characters...however, the poem in this belongs to me, so no pinchy please ^-^_

_

* * *

_

_Chapter 13:_

It was hard not to lose ones self within the forest.

The sun light glittered through gaps in the leaves over head, sprinkling the earth and everything else in an atmosphere of magic.

Yami smiled as he stared towards where the golden life giver was badly hidden, a hand raised casually over his face.

How he loved the sun. Perhaps it was merely because of his heritage, but he loved it's warmth on his skin, and how it brought so much life, even to the tiny white, yellow and pale violet flowers growing along the side of the path. Though the occasional rainy day was very nice to, his favourite was a bright, clear warm day with a light, cool breeze.

It would have been nice to just stand and admire the beauty that no human could ever match, but the inelegant pounding and shuffling of feet reminded him that the teachers were determined to keep everything to a tight schedule, and so he sighed a quiet apology to mother nature, and returned his attention to keeping up with the other students.

He was still weighing up whether or not he'd consider the day good or bad. He didn't like the rushing around by the teachers, and though he loved learning about the areas and different flora and fauna, he had to admit he wished they'd shutup for a few minutes so he could just enjoy the view. He grinned as he remembered how he'd almost told them so as they'd come to a magnificent view of the coast from high up on a hill, where the trees parted way.

Also marked on the day's con list, was how some other students had been messing around, and poor Malik had been tripped unintentionally, and in return, he'd ended up knocking into Yami, sending both falling to the ground. They'd both ended up with small grazes, Yami on his knee, and Malik on his elbow, but at least ever reliable Yugi had been prepared with bandaids on hand.

Yami had to wonder now if he'd made too much of a fuss about it at the time. He'd barely been concerned with the mild stinging of the graze, but more so just that he and Malik had been the ones to suffer (a strong word to use, he knew) because of other people's carelessness.

"Alright everyone!" The teacher called as they finally reached the edge of the forest, where they'd begun the trip that morning, "We will rest here whilst everyone completes their answer sheets. You're ALL to answer every question, and I had better see names on ALL the answer sheets!"

Yami sighed as he sat on the grass with the other students, praying everyone did as they were asked, not at all eager at the sound of listening to the _"put your names on your papers" _talk for the millionth time! They got it at least once or twice a week at school!

"Once you've finished, hand in your paper to us, and if we see you've done as asked, then you may return to the hotel, and the afternoon will be yours. You MUST return to the hotel first and check in with Kuroki sensei, who will be waiting in the lobby. After that, you may spend your time as you please. The same rules apply, stay away from off limit areas...return before dark...and dinner is at the same time." The teacher finished.

Not too bothered by the familiar instructions, but non the less glad they were over, Yami took out his paper and pen, and read over the questions. Many were basic, others a little harder. Yami managed alright until he got to question seven...

_'How many coastal wood fern plants are around the base of the oldest Japanese cedar tree in the forest?'_

Yami remembered when they'd stopped at the tree...

_'Fantastic. I was suppose to be counting!' _He thought, unable to believe they'd ask such a question. Sure they'd said to be observant, but come on! _'I swear they ask some questions just to get us panicking and put the wrong answers.'_

Sighing, he rested his cheek against his fist, trying to picture the tree again. Ok, the tree was easy enough to remember, and he could picture ferns around it...but exactly how many? He didn't have a clue!

A familiar feeling...almost like a light but unexpected nudge...caught his attention, and he glanced up. He was actually surprised to see Kaiba watching him out of the corner of his eye. He was so damn good at making his actions subtle! Obviously no one else noticed!

Kaiba's look was questioning, and it took Yami awhile to figure out why. When he did, he felt even more surprised. His eyes shifting to make sure no one was looking, he placed his palm against his leg, spreading his fingers wide to emphasise all five digits, before then closing his palm, and leaving just two fingers stretched. He had to hope Kaiba could transalate that as 'seven'.

The CEO's eyes left him for a moment, returning to his own paper, scanning the questions, before sharp sapphires turned back to sharp rubies. The brunnette shifted the paper in his hand, changing how he held it, and the hand that was closest to Yami held it so that his thumb was hidden, but three fingers were visible, stretched wide.

Understanding, Yami gave a swift, grateful smile, and wrote the number 'three' in the answer part. When he was done, he glanced carefully over the top of his paper, not the least bit suprised that the ceo had already stopped paying attention to him. He just continued to smile lightly, and finished his work, glancing up only when he saw Seto leave a few minutes before he finished.

"I'll see you all later." He said quietly to his friends.

"You're not gonna come down to the beach again Yami?" Ryou asked.

"Maybe a bit later. I want to go walk around town for awhile." Yami answered.

"Hey wait up! I want to see the town to." Malik called after him.

Yami just gave him an apologetic smile, and shook his head. He handed his paper to the teacher, and when allowed, headed back down towards where they could see the hotel.

"Does he seem like he's up to something?" Honda mumbled, scratching his chin slightly.

"Forget him and tell me the answer to question five! I'm not sitting up here staring at the view all afternoon!" Jounichi answered, though his voice seemed to lack the usual goofiness, instead being strangely serious.

Yugi glanced around as he heard his friends whispering and everything, before quickly focusing back on his own work, begging Ra not to be cruel enough to let them ask him about his dark half's odd behaviour.

* * *

Yami was back to the hotel and in the shower as quickly as possible. It was annoying to have to waste a nice hot shower, but only took as long as he needed to get clean, before getting back out. He searched through his clothing, and oddly enough, descided to go with a pair of long jeans. Denim wasn't something he wore much, but not because he didn't like it. He matched it with a black sleeveless turtle neck top, and a denim jacket yugi had insisted he brought with him.

After pulling his necklace out from under the top, he gave himself a once over in the mirror. He nodded in approval, and turned to look out the room window. They'd gotten lucky, the view of the ocean was beautiful.

Knowing he couldn't waste time right now, he turned to leave, when he felt something shift under his foot. Glancing down, he recognised it to be the book he'd seen Bakura writing in last night, and cursed himself that his runner had crumbled the page. It looked like the book had fallen off the other boy's bed. He carefully picked it up, trying to straighten the page, when he stopped still.

Upon the page was a scetch. A well detailed, and highly realistic drawing of...

"Ryou?"

The image of the sweet boy depicted him smiling, almost like he was laughing, whilst he held cards in his hand. The image tugged at Yami's memory...in fact...it looked a whole lot like when Ryou had joined in the duel monsters game last night.

It then clicked in the past life pharoah's head. He'd thought Bakura had been writing in this book, only looking up on occassion to check how the game was going.

He hadn't been writing...he'd been drawing, his quick glances up to capture Ryou's image more.

Yami felt his heart twinge in guilt. There was no doubt this was meant to be private, and so forcing away the bewilderment and curiousity at the skill he'd never realised Bakura to have, he carefully closed the book, and slipped it under his friend's pillow. He left the room and made his way back out of the hotel, being careful in case his friends had returned.

He brushed his fingers through his hair, trying to neaten it a bit, until he reached the bottom of the hill, where he searched around.

Perhaps Kaiba wasn't here yet? He couldn't imagine punctual Seto Kaiba taking longer than him, nor could he imagine him backing out. Still, the area was pretty quiet, since most people were taking advantage of such a nice day and going straight to the beach.

Touching the red gem around his neck for a quick dose of reassurance, he observed each person. A group of friends were having a laugh at a cafe across the road...someone was relaxing against a tree not far away...a couple were just heading away from the beach...

Yami did a double take of the person against the tree.

No way...could it be...?

After cautiously getting a bit closer, he recognised Seto. Though, in some funny way, he could swear he was staring at a stranger...

The CEO was wearing loose, long white pants, and a light, pale blue shirt. The top few buttons were open, whilst the long sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.

The look was completely new and peculiar upon Kaiba, and one thing was for sure...

Yami absolutely...positively...LOVED IT!

He recieved a light, mental slap as the gorgeous blue eyes turned in his direction, and he approached his rival.

The sapphires intrigued him more than the outfit. They were sharp and peircing as always, but yet, not so...frosty.

"Are we going? Or would you prefer to stand around and have a staring contenst?"

Yami smirked, his body completely relaxing.

Yep, it was definately Seto.

"We're going." He answered, and began walking towards the town.

Kaiba was quick to push away from the tree and fall in line with him. They made their way at a casual pace into the town, avoiding eye contact with anyone and hardly speaking, though truth be told, that was simply more their nature than an action caused by discomfort of any sort.

Yami was able to note how Kaiba seemed to know where he was going, or at least the way he walked and chose directions without hesitation made it seem that way.

"Here."

He stopped as Seto did in front of a small cafe in a quiet corner of the town.

"Kaiba, do you know this place?" Yami inquired.

Seto didn't answer, and just walked in. Yami followed closely, and sat opposite the ceo when he chose a booth.

"Good afternoon boys, what can I get for you?" Said a young waitress as she came over.

She gave a genuinely sweet smile, and Yami took a quick glance over the menu.

"Just a tropical juice thanks."

"Flat white."

The waitress nodded as she wrote down the orders, before heading back to the counter, her long brown ponytail bouncing along with the skip in her step.

"How did you find the feild trip today?" Yami asked once she was gone.

They were slowly getting better at the small talk.

"The scenery or the biology lecture?" Kaiba replied bluntly, staring at nothing in particular.

Yami just chuckled and shook his head, making the ceo glance up.

"...Put me in a smaller, quieter group with a guide who doesn't drone on about every detail about everything in sight, and I might give it a higher rating." He said with a small sigh.

"Agreed." Yami answered, sitting back and crossing his arms, "If the teacher had just stopped talking for a few minutes each time we stopped, I might have been able to appreciate the area as much as they were telling us to."

He blinked a bit as Kaiba gave him a strange look, as if he was contemplating something.

"What?"

The brunnette turned his gaze away.

"Nothing."

Yami held in a sigh. He wasn't going to start an arguement over something small.

The waitress returned soon after with their drinks. After checking if they wanted anything else, she turned to go back to work, when she stopped and stared practically in bewilderment at Kaiba.

"W-wait...are...are you..._'him'_?" She whispered.

"I think that depends on who you're talking about." Kaiba answered shortly.

"Aren't you...Seto Kaiba?" She finished.

"And if I am?"

Yami wasn't suprised that someone would recognise Seto's face, but it sounded like it was a bigger deal than just suprise at finding the world's youngest CEO in such a tiny town.

He _was_suprised though, when the girl's face lit up.

"I...I don't believe it! I'm so honoured! I...I've always wanted to say..."

Yami could have smacked himself for being the one to jump in suprise when it was Kaiba that the girl suddenly bowed deeply to.

"Thankyou. Thankyou so much for what you did. Things just wouldn't be the same here if you hadn't..."

The girl suddenly realised she was rambling, and bowed deeply again. With a mumbled apology, she darted off, her face bright red. Yami just looked to Seto.

"Would...you prefer a change of topic?" He asked, not sure he should question the girl's words, judging by Seto's frustrated glare.

"It's not even worth being called a topic." Kaiba grumbled.

He paused to drink his coffee, but gave another grumble and lowered his cup as his words clearly just confused Yami even more.

"I bought a large area of land within the forest by the town, and it prevented another company from demolishing it to make a resort."

Yami almost felt his heart flutter in a pathetic way, like when a princess watched a knight valiantly defeat an enemy, but he quickly kicked the thought right away. He wasn't foolish enough to believe Kaiba would spend money just to help a small town, not unless it some how benefitted him.

"So the town's people are grateful their nice little town didn't become a tourist hotspot?" He asked casually.

"Apparently." Kaiba muttered, taking another drink.

Yami let his eyes drop to his own glass, momentarily admiring the golden orange colour that made it look even more appealing, and took a sip.

"Fools."

The ruby eyed teen cut off from his drink sharply, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked up to Kaiba, who was now staring out the window, his eyes showing a familiar icyness...and...something Yami couldn't quite put his finger on without making a more obvious attempt to see the sapphires better.

"They think they should show me gratitude...the idiots..." He looked back to his rival, "...you of all people...should be able to guess that my reasons were selfish. I don't care about how many tourists come here, I simply wanted that peice of land."

"Yes, I could guess that." Yami answered seriously, telling himself not to get riled up, "But what for? Why would you want it?"

His defenses rose as Kaiba's arrogant smirk suddenly appeared.

"Why not? It's a descent peice of land that's right there for me to use as I see fit whenever I choose, and no one can say otherwise."

Yami felt his temper flare from his instinctive hate of such selfishness, and quickly took a long mouthful of his drink, closing his eyes.

_'Kami damn it! I knew I should have changed topics...'_

"Kaiba..." He finally spoke when he dared to, "...Did you bring Mokuba with you as your guest?"

Kaiba's smirk was gone, though a bit of the ice lingered within his eyes.

"Yes."

"Where is he today? Since guests aren't allowed to come with us on excursions." Yami continued, now relaxed, though his own words made him frown slightly, "...as ridiculous as that is..."

"He spent the day in town with Akio." Kaiba answered, also sounding alot calmer now.

Yami looked to him curiously.

_'That must have been why he went to talk to Akio yesterday at the club, and why he didn't tell his cousin about the switch in travel plans in the first place. As strategic and inconsiderate as always Kaiba, but I suppose Akio wouldn't really have minded being asked to look after his younger cousin. Actually, coming from Seto...that could almost be considered a high honour.'_

"So, you prefer your coffee mild?" He asked after a short silence, slightly suprised.

"At work or otherwise?"

"...Both I suppose...?" Yami answered a little confused.

"At work, black or expresso...outside work, latte or white."

"Wow, you actually like it both ways?"

Seto gave a mild frown at him.

"Expresso tastes fowl...but you try working all day at the head of a million dollar company on weak shit!"

"Kaiba...there's no need for that language. You seemed to be enjoying your drink to me." Yami said with just an ounce of scolding.

"This? This is fine." Kaiba corrected, taking another sip, "...I'm talking about the rubbish the secutary brings me at work. I can afford to buy out other companies, buy land where ever I want, and even build theme parks...but still I some how fail to get a descent cup of coffee at my office!"

Yami threw his hand over his mouth to stop himself from bursting out in laughter, and just looked down, closing his eyes as his shoulders shook from the withheld laughs.

He failed to notice the way the brunette watched him, for a single instant, seeming to relax, as if suprised but not angry from the humor the other had found in his words.

By the time the ruby eyed teen looked back up, his gaze was solid and serious once more.

"And you?"

"Hm?"

"Do you drink coffee?"

Yami thought for a moment.

"I like an occassional mocha latte, and flat white is alright...but no, I don't drink it often." He glanced to his own drink, "I find I prefer cold drinks like juice or cold milk."

Kaiba gave a quiet 'hmph', though there was no insult behind it.

"I rarely drink just straight milk, though it tastes fine. Juice is too sweet..." He paused, glancing to the side, "...but I suppose the occasional orange juice for breakfast is alright."

Ruby's and sapphires met for a second, before looking away, yami grinning slightly, whilst Kaiba just seemed unsure how to respond. Both knew what the other was thinking...how ironic it was that Kaiba...sometimes called the ice prince by others...would choose hot drinks, whilst Yami...self proclaimed lover of warmth...would choose cold drinks.

Perhaps it was because they favoured their chosen elements so much, that their bodies automatically cried out for a taste of the opposite.

Their conversations flowed between school and other random topics. Just as they were finishing, Yami took a breath, and asked the thing that had been nagging at him.

"If its not my buisness to know, then I won't enquire further...but, how is Kaiba corp doing?"

He felt the sharpness within his rival's eyes as they turned to him, and almost felt like he'd been cut. He knew the ceo would understand he was asking about the hacker.

However, Kaiba unclenched his fist after it had automatically closed in defense.

"The kisama hasn't shown his face again since last time." He answered almost silently, "Any problems have been nothing but the usual customer complaints, small glitches or some new employee stuffing up a program."

Yami's mouth flickered into a small smile, thought it faded as he downed the last of his drink, and called the waitress over. As she came over to accept his pay, he glanced to Kaiba as he also finished his drink.

"This is the right amount, correct?" He said as he stood and handed her the money.

The girl blinked in suprise, and looked between him and Seto, but Yami just nodded and held his hand up.

"Yes, this is correct. I hope you enjoyed yourselves." She finally answered with a smile and a small bow.

As she walked off, Yami tilted his head to look at the sapphires he could feel upon him. Kaiba certainly wasn't slow in picking up that he'd just had his drink paid for.

"I made the original invitation, thus it's my treat." He merely answered with a light shrug, and turned.

He heard Kaiba get up and follow after him at a calm pace.  
"I'm sure you realise I'm not broke." The ceo muttered a little defensively as they got outside.

"Maybe not, but neither am I, and I think I can be allowed to be the one to spend money for once. I'm not going bankrupt just because I don't have money to throw away."

He gave a teasing smirk to Seto, who just frowned, and looked ahead.

"Is there anything else you wanted to do around town?"

He stopped as the brunette did, his smile drifting away.

"Mokuba."

Though a little disappointed, Yami just gave an understanding smile.

"I suppose I should go find Yugi now." He replied looking away.

The time in the cafe had been nice...there was no reason to ruin it by being selfish and trying to get more out of the date than needed.

Though both had made their intentions clear, neither made a move, their eyes avoiding each other's firm glares.

"Well...tell Mokuba and Akio I said hello." Yami eventually sighed, and began to head back to the hotel.

Kaiba's gaze turned as the smaller male's hand brushed past his as he turned...clearly not an intentional action...but certainly noticable.

He watched as his rival walked away, and as he disappeared around a corner, Kaiba became aware that he was biting his own lower lip.

* * *

"Hey Yami."

"Hey Yugi."

"How was it?"

Yami leant back against the wall as he listened to the cherub sweet voice through the phone, noting how Yugi was whispering...probably to avoid being over heard and arousing suspsicion from anyone.

"Interesting, but quite pleasant non the less."

"Didn't do anything I wouldn't approve of I trust...?"

"You almost sound disappointed Hikari. But then, you are the one who thought I wanted to get _'naughty'_."

"Someone has to ask the annoying questions. Besides, you know I'll hang up and run if you even hint at going into detail about anything higher than a PG rating..."

"Oh really? Because I was going to say..."

"Don't even try and make me squirm Yami, I know you'd be lieing."

Yami just grinned at his hikari's quick retort.

"Where are you right now Yugi?"

"Everyone headed straight back to the beach, but don't rush if you're gonna come. A peaceful sand castle building competition has turned into a free for all sand ball fight."

"I'll keep that in mind." Yami chuckled, "I'll see you soon."

"See you soon. Oh! Another warning...Malik isn't too happy you weren't there to help bury Otogi and Honda whilst they were sunbaking."

The boys listened to each other's laughter over the phone.

"I'm suprised Jou wouldn't have joined in that?"

"Oh...well he was...uhh...exploring the rock pools with Ryou."

Yami flinched, and knew Yugi had as well. It wasn't just him who knew how Malik felt. No doubt his little mischief must have been to distract himself.

He tried hard not to feel too guilty for not being there with his best friend.

"I do hope Bakura didn't suffer such a fate. I'm not so certain he likes sand very much." Yami changed topics, finding that fact ironic considering his and Bakura's heritage.

"No, he knows better. He's been sitting up and alert even before Malik started.

"That sounds like Bakura. Very well, I'm nearly to the hotel now, I won't be long."

"Ok, but as I said...approach at your own risk."

Yami gave a last chuckle, and hung up. He stared up the hill, before starting the climb, just happy enough that the steepness wouldn't bother him. When he reached the car park, he glanced around for Kaiba's car, but only ended up frowning when nothing sleek and silver appeared in his sight.

However, a rather shiny, expensive black car caught his attention, and call him too curious for his own good, but he had to go take a peek.

Yami was proud to say he wasn't materialistic, but he could never help admiring glamorous items like fancy cars, beautiful arcitecture, rare and precious stones and crystals, etc. Yugi had once stated quite clearly that it was one of his better qualities, because it meant he could be taken shopping and not get bored, but also not waste all his money on stuff. That was one of the reasons he enjoyed going shopping with Malik. Sure they bought stuff sometimes, but most of their time was spend browsing and enjoying what they saw.

He didn't dare to touch the polished exterior as he attempted to see inside, but the tinted glass only served to frustrate him as it did it's job of keeping it's driver's privacy.

However, the only thing remotely as expensive looking was Mai's red sports car. Indeed her car was fancy, but this one just didn't seem to fit into a small beach side town.

Barely able to supress a grin, he stared to the sky, wanting both to laugh and roll his eyes.

_'Of course. He has a spare limo..why not a spare normal car?'_

Satisfied, he headed inside and up to the room. Heeding Yugi's warning, he took his time in changing to his swim trunks, which as always, he had to look over in the mirror. They fell nicely to his knees, and were black with crimson and gold flames rising up in waves upon one side, blue tipping the edges of the fire, which surrounded a small but clear picture of a full moon over an ocean at night. The Moon glowed a blood red, with one edge shining white, as if half way through a lunar eclipse.

Yami had insisted he'd just needed a simple, descent pair of swim trunks...Yugi...who had made it very clear he thought otherwise... had bought them when his dark half wasn't looking, and let him find them on his bed the next morning with a note that simply had a face dipicting Yugi's cheek ass grin upon it.

Yami had to smirk. He may have wrestled with Yugi over it at the time, but his hikari had just kept on grinning, as there was no denying he really did love the design.

When ready, he carefully folded his nicer clothes back up. Though he could be lazy at times, he was hardly a slob. No he wasn't a neat freak and would scowl if anyone called him one, but he did like things to be tidy. A small stain on a sheet or a couple of dishes by the sink didn't bother him or anything, but a badly unmade bed...a spill...or screwed up clothing...those things didn't neccessarily nag at him, but correcting them came so instinctively that to someone else it might look obssessive.

Despite that, it's not like they were the end of the world...he occassionally let things slip. More than once he'd left his bed with a mini mountain that was his blanket and pillows sitting right in the middle, and sometimes he dropped his clothing on the ground, leaving it there for a day before remembering to pick it up.

Though it mostly came naturally now days, the habit had really started when he'd been forcing himself to remember to do them every day. Thankfully it hadn't taken too long for it to become a normal part of his routine.

After placing them back in his bag, he looked through the front pockets, not certain where he'd last put his sunscreen. He frowned when all he found was a bunch of old, screwed up school notes.

Of course. Literally the night before the school trip, the bag he'd intended to use had broken, and not having another descent backpack, he'd been forced to use his school bag instead.

He'd been a bit hasty, and must have forgotten to clean out some of the pockets first.

Grumbling at the delay, he began throwing them in the bin, giving each a mere, uncaring glance before they were chucked away.

As he got to the fifth peice however, he stopped, stiffening a gasp.

How had that got mingled in with rubbish?

He looked over the peice of paper, his eyes narrowed in serious contemplation, though hesitation lingered upon the edges of them, until he quickly shoved it into the pocket of the pants he'd laid out to wear when he got back, and left the room.

When he got to the beach, he saw the sand fight was still taking place, and it appeared almost everyone on the school trip had joined in. Some battled in groups with a few running down to fetch water in buckets to wet the dry sand, whilst their team mates concentrated on attacking the 'enemy'. Probably the majority however, were playing _'every man for themself'._

He calmly made his way to where Anzu, Bakura and Rishid were taking shelter under an umbrella, suprised that even Ryou had joined in, fighting back to back with Malik, both boy's laughing even with sand through their long hair.

"Who's winning?" He asked casually as he crouched by his friends.

"Last one standing." Bakura answered gruffly, obviously not having fun.

Yami's eyes darted all over the battle feild, before his eyebrows furrowed.

"Where's Yugi?"

"He's out there somewhere, but we lost site of him." Anzu answered, sounding a bit anxious about the boy.

Yami looked to where Jounichi and Honda were hiding behind a makeshift fort...probably a remnant of one of the sand castles Yugi had spoken of...and he suddenly gritted his teeth.

Without thinking, he lept right into the firing line, darting around the other students, making a few stumble over at his sheer speed. Naturally he quickly became a prime target, and even heard someone yell _'Mutou's on the feild! Triple points!'_. None were fast enough or accurate enough though, not when he was focused, the oncoming sand zooming past as he twisted to avoid, not loosing his balance or speed once. Finally, he skidding to a stop behind a large sand mount next to Jou and Honda's 'fort', where a strange, thin peice of blue plastic was sticking out, waving around weirdly. He began digging feircely, but quickly loosing patience, he shoved his hands in, and pulled hard.

"BLEH!" Little Yugi gasped, spitting out the blue straw and spluttering loudly as his dark half pulled him free, "Finally!"

"Who did this!"

"A couple of guys from the other teams joined up, stuffed a straw in my mouth and dumped the sand on me at once!" Yugi answered, trying to rub away the sand blinding him.

"Why didn't Jou and Honda help you?" Yami questioned, glaring at his friend's backs.

"They're too involved in fighting that team over there. Neither side is winning though...they've hit more seagulls than each other..."

As the small boy continued to splutter, Yami glared up, swiftly figuring out who the culprids were, since they flinced and began sweating the moment his eyes fell upon them.

Gladly submitting his will to the dominant force of his protective instincts, he scooped up a large handful of the wet sand Jou had ready and waiting, and crushed it within his hands, the sand obeying his demands...by it's will or not... and forming a perfect spherical shape.

The desceptive strength hidden within his shorter, leaner build made it's presence known, as he flung the ball straight towards a set target. It struck the guy square in the face, and sand sprayed everywhere as it shattered.

Though not strong enough to actually hurt the guy more than a temporary sting, he still fell over, and his partners in crime...who stopped to check if he was alright...left themselves open. Within seconds, they all felt the temporary sting of sand strike some part of their body.

"Ok Mutou! You're going down!" The first boy yelled, now over his fear and smirking.

Yami smirked back, past his initial anger at them for picking on Yugi, though still completely serious about teaching them the concequences of doing so.

"Yugi?"

"Ready when you are." His hikari chirped, now free of all irritating sand, and wearing a smirk of his own as he placed a ready made sand ball into his dark half's waiting hand.

* * *

"My arms are still aching." Ryou chuckled, trying to raise his limbs, but cringed each time.

"Yeah well my face still hurts. Watch where you're throwing next time Otogi!" Jou groaned, craddling his cheek in his palm.

"Don't know what you're talking about." Otogi answered casually.

"Oh you know what I'm talking about alright!"

"Not at all...whenever I threw, I was watching exactly where I was throwing...please don't make it sound like my aim is as bad as yours."

"Who's side were you on!" Jou yelled, flying to his feet.

"A rogue knows loyalty to one man alone." Malik laughed.

Yami just smiled as he listened to the normal bantering of his friends, though his gaze lingered upon the glory of the fire burning in the middle of the circle the students and their guests formed. His ruby eyes glowed crimson in the light, admiration and possibly a hint of excitement lingering within the red orbs.

After much insistence and pleading from the majority of the students, the teachers had descided to allow a small, supervised beach party after dinner, though the curfue was still very much in place.

Yami was suprised that everyone seemed perfectly willing to go along with the rules...not being too loud with the music...staying in sight...and of course no alcohol or other forbidden items.

The blazing fire illuminated everyone, many brave enough to face the chilly night air...even so close to the ocean...in their swimwear, whilst others like himself had chosen to throw clothes back on. He'd left his swim trunks on, but now wore black track pants and a red hoodie over the top. He had to laugh...this was his usual dress code in winter, neither were heavy, but still thick enough to keep out the cold.

He grinned at the many memories of Yugi wandering around the house covered in layers of clothing, and looking like a plump, multicoloured penguin. Then again, he knew he should thank his hikari...he wouldn't have brought these clothes if Yugi hadn't insisted he bring something warm.

He returned his attention to the main source of heat.

How he loved to watch fire. It reminded him of the sun, bringing life and warmth to them, just like the soul within himself. Fire never stayed still, it danced on and on relentlessly...alive...free...unquenchable.

Just the same, his soul cried out for that freedom...that feeling of being so alive. He wanted it so badly, to never feel caged or lost...

To be trapped within a silent, still world...the very thought was suffocating to him. He'd hidden himself away, and now he struggled to find the freedom he sought. He was ashamed...ashamed that he couldn't reveal something to even Yugi...the most precious person in his life...he couldn't even tell him that he loved to dance. The words were so simple, and he knew completely and whole heartly, Yugi would only be thrilled by it...

So why...?

He hissed silently to himself, annoyed that he would cause turmoil within by pondering a question he already knew the answer to, and turned his attention back to the fire.

He wasn't as much alike fire as he wished, but he still loved it.

Alive...there was no more correct word to describe it...

He wished...it could be the same for him.

"Well isn't that just an adorable sight?" Mai spoke up.

Yami glanced to her, and followed her sharp, violet shaded eyes to where Shizuka was dancing with Mokuba.

He couldn't help but smile widely. Mokuba was innocent and fun loving, and Shizuka was caring and gentle. There was no suprise that they got on so easily.

He almost smirked as he could picture the unneccessarily jealous expressions Honda and Otogi were probably wearing, but instead turned his gaze to where Kaiba was leaning against the base of a tall sand dune, where the divide between beach and firmer land began. The crystal like eyes were sharp as always, but held a calm look, and though there was no trace of a smile, Yami was reminded of the expression he'd glimpsed the ceo wearing the day they'd gone on the ferris wheel.

No suprise...his eyes were locked to his little brother after all.

He absently noted when the current music finished, and chuckled lightly as he saw Mokuba yawn loudly.

"Aw, are you tired? Maybe it is time to call it a night." Shizuka spoke softly.

Her words did seem more fitted to someone younger than Mokuba, but her voice was so genuine and kind that no one could mistake it for teasing.

"I'm with her, a girl needs her beauty sleep after all." Mai said and stretched, her voice light and joking, though no one doubted she believed it.

"Yes. The day was rather exhausting." Isis agreed, standing up.

"What are you lot complaining about? We had to hike all over the forest and beach trying to take in useless geography facts! All you did was shop the whole day!" Jounichi argued.

"Jounichi, you have much to learn about the effort and work that goes into shopping." Mai just chuckled, turning to leave.

"Eehh...no thanks." Jou mumbled, looking just a little freaked by the thought of it.

"Come on Niisan! I'm old enough to stay up now!"

The group looked around to where Mokuba was facing his brother, who was suddenly on his feet, his arms crossed in the way they always were when he was making a descision and not allowing any arguement from anyone.

"Mokuba...we'd both prefer it if you didn't make me say it..." Kaiba answered calm and quiet, his expression serious and enforcing.

The raven haired boy pounted heavily, as if wanting desperately to argue, but knowing he stood little to no chance against his brother's quick tongue. He finally grumbled in defeat and began to walk back to the hotel, his brother not far behind. Yami bit his bottom lip not to laugh, though he also felt a small nudge in his heart.

Seto was having to play adult again...Yami always felt bad now days if he saw it. It made him curious and wonder if Seto would act differently if he didn't have to shoulder that role as well. Would he let Mokuba stay up longer? Would he allow him to take more risks?

Yami looked down to hide his grin.

No...he absolutely would not.

"I'm gonna call it a night to." Anzu said and stood.

"Me to." He heard the rest of his friends one by one agree, each standing one after the other.

"We should go Yami, we have another long day tommorrow." Yugi whispered from beside him.

"You go ahead Hikari, I won't be much longer." Yami said, smiling fondly around at him.

Yugi just smiled in understanding. He of course knew too well about Yami's love for fire, and how he could sit for hours in front of it's warm glow doing nothing but admiring his favourite element. Yugi himself would get too relaxed and fall asleep after just an hour or two, but Yami would only become more awake and alert.

He touched his dark half's shoulder softly as he stood, before heading after the others. Malik stood and gave him a playful wink, which Yami returned, only to feel a guilty nudge as he watched his friend leave.

Yugi was right that he'd have to stop flirting with Malik...he was serious with Seto now...even if it was just teasing and messing around with Malik, it still wouldn't be fair.

Again the thought made him sigh and rest his chin in his palm. He was going to have to admit what was going on sooner or later. Anzu was already on to him, and Malik would get confused...and possibly hurt...if Yami stopped playing their usual games without explanation.

"Mutou, ten minutes, and then you'll need to head back to your dorm, alright?"

His head snapped up, and he blinked at the teacher speaking. She only chuckled as he looked around and realised that everyone was suddenly gone, almost like into thin air.

"Oh, right, of course." He nodded, earning a smile in return.

This teacher he knew to be a lot fairer than others, and clearly she trusted he would do the right thing enough to leave him unsupervised.

He watched as she left, instantly wondering if it was such a good idea the moment she was out of his sight.

He pulled the hoody...with some difficultly thanks to his hair... over his head, and wrapped his arms around himself, absorbing as much heat from the fire as he could.

Why did this feeling always like to creep up on him? He hated it...an overly cautious, almost paranoid sense of being alone.

Even if he prefered day, He had still always liked darkness. In the past, he'd never felt unsafe within it, it was simply the opposite of the light, and he saw them equally. However, thanks to a certain person he felt angry to even think about, he often found himself glancing over his shoulder, or at the least, never fully relaxed whenever there was a lack of light.

His eyes narrowed lightly in sadness as he remembered how pitiful he'd been after Marriku had first disappeared. He'd been so terrified that he rarely stopped shaking, and couldn't stand being alone. It had gotten to the point that...to his utter shame...Yugi had come and curled up beside him at night many times when the taller boy had woken up, his screams echoing around the entire house.

Having his hikari's presence and comfort was enough to keep the nighmares at bay, but even after all this time...even though he'd regained much of his lost strength...the spark of darkness that Marriku had placed within him just wouldn't fade. The kisama had hurt him bad...he wondered if it would ever disappear? Or was there now a permanent scar he'd have to live with?

He wasn't sure how long he sat watching the entrancing performance of the flames, though he was certain it was longer than he was meant to have. Eventually, he managed to persuade himself that it was time he went back, and stood. He poked a thin stick into the flames, and raised it to watch the end ignite for just a few seconds, before the flames died out, leaving a beautiful red glow upon the burning wood.

Sighing quietly, he let the stick fall into the main body of fire, and turned away.

He stopped as he became aware that this beautiful beach...under the watch of the glistening stars, illuminated by the moon, and spared from silence by the gentle lullaby of the wave's carress upon the shore...was not his alone to enjoy.

He could not mistake Kaiba's form...but it still seemed hard to believe it was the same male. Seto hadn't changed clothes from when they'd gone for a drink earlier...however, his feet were now bare, something that seemed so out of place on Kaiba.

He was standing at the water's edge, just barely avoiding it's touch. His gaze was out over the ocean, turned black by the night sky, only the moon's reflection breaking the completion of the dark feild.

Yami didn't mean to stare, but neither could he think to leave. He watched as the smooth brown strands danced around the ceo's face in the chilly air, and only now became aware that his shirt was fully unbuttoned, as it blew loosely in the breeze.

Seto Kaiba truly was breathtaking, Yami could never deny that, but as he'd always known, it was the eyes that gently tugged at his will, calling for him to come closer, even if they were still focused out over the ocean, as if able to see some far off land...maybe a paradise that was out of human's reach?

He came to a stop once more as he was within a few metres of the taller boy, and watched as he shifted foward, so that his feet dipped gently into the edge of the ocean. He heard a slow, deep inhale from Kaiba...no doubt from the cold...as the sapphires closed, and slowly, his arms raised spread on each side of him, almost like in welcome to the wind that blew around him.

There was something calming about the situation...perhaps because he now knew he wasn't alone on the beach, weither or not Kaiba even knew his rival was watching him.

The brunette hardly seemed aware of his own presence within the world.

"Having fun there Rose?"

The words slipped so easily and naturally from his lips, small whisps of memory from the date on the boat drifting through his mind.

Sapphires opened slowly, shining within the moonlight, and looked to him.

Kaiba's calm, practically tranquil expression showed he honestly hadn't known Yami was there, but yet it was as if he didn't care that his private moment of peace had been both seen and interupted.

"You've actually seen that movie?" The brunette replied quietly, his mind drifting upon the same memory as his arms lowered.

"Against my will...but yes." Yami answered, moving closer until he was in line with the taller male.

Both stared out across the water, Kaiba's unusual calmness easily spreading to his rival. Yami glanced to where the water lapped at Kaiba's heels, his own protected by his runners.

"The cold really doesn't bother you?"

Kaiba looked down to the water for a moment, before looking back up.

"It's freezing."

Yami tilted his head towards his rival. His words sounded truthful, but his expression really didn't show any discomfort from the cold. Looking to his own feet, he carefully reached down, and slipped off his shoes. The sand shifted beneath his feet, creeping between his toes with the slightest of movements. It was such an odd feeling, but Yami found an odd sense of pleasure in it.

His teeth gritted as his body tensed. The cold water that washed over his feet sent an ice cold chill right up his spine, and as the water receided, it intensified when the wind grazed over the wet skin.

"It's not that bad." Kaiba muttered next him.

Yami recalled the same words from the boat.

"Yes it is." He hissed through his teeth as his body began to shake.

Seto's eyes turned to the shivering figure, before glancing over his head.

"How's the fire now?"

Rubies followed sapphires to the fire burning all on it's lonesome now.

"Unchanged." He answered simply.

"You're wrong."

Yami looked up to the whisper as the sapphires closed. Though he couldn't see the eyes, he recognised the calm focus often seen on the ceo's face, and trusting it would break the confusion, he also shut his eyes.

The world around him vanished, leaving behind the gentle but endless rushing of the waves as they embraced his feet. Mingled with it...and yet singing it's own chorus...was the crackling of the fire.

He breathed in slow and deep, taking in the scents of burning wood and salty air.

There was no noise other than the natural and pure sounds of the elements. Somewhere in the distance, an owl's hoot rang loud and clear, but it was no more out of place than the rest.

He breathed out deeply as his eyes slid open once more, vaguely noting that any and all tension he'd previously been feeling had washed away with the water.

"You're right. It's completely different." The whisper excaped him.

He gave the words a moment to show how true they were as he shifted his feet, this time purposely to enjoy the funny feeling once more.

"Do you want to go sit by it?" He soon whispered.

Kaiba paused, as if contemplating it, but then answered;

"It would be pointless right now."

"Why so?"

When the ceo didn't answer, Yami just dropped his gaze, watching the timing of the water as he shoved his hands into his pockets to keep them warm.

Something shifted under his hand in his right pocket, making him look there.

_'Oh.'_

Of course. How had he forgotten?

He gripped the paper delicately, as if it was a thin peice of glass that would either slice his hand or shatter if he handled it wrong.

Should he?

Shouldn't he?

Was it right?

Was it selfish?

"Kaiba, there's something I've been wanting to ask you..."

A quick glance and a change it Kaiba's aura showed he had heard the seriousness in the whisper, and was giving Yami his honest attention. Silently calming his nerves, he let his lips part slightly, as he turned his head to look at Kaiba properly.

"...Seto?"

Yami could never had predicted the expression that would greet him in return.

Anger, shock, confusion...he could have expected any of those...but instead, the beautiful moon lit eyes looked to him in genuin suprise. Kaiba hadn't expected the question, and amazingly, he wasn't angered by it. He understood what his rival was asking, but the icy barrage of rejection Yami had expected didn't come.

After a long pause, in which neither duelist looked away from the other, the suprise vanished with a single blink, and the firm expression returned as the sapphires stared back out over the dark water.

"If you want..." Seto answered, before his eyes slowly shifted back to the smaller male, "...Yami?"

Yami let his own eyes look back out over the ocean as a smile of happiness appeared over his face.

"If you want." He answered in return, feeling so much warmer than even when he had hot, honey covered pancakes slipping down his throat into his stomach.

Kaiba...no...Seto...had asked to use his name. In the past he never would have imagined such a thing would make him so happy.

His smile didn't last though, and instead was replaced by a firmer, more determined look.

He would.

Weither or not he should.

He turned his whole body towards his rival, his hand gripping more firmly to the paper in his pocket. Though it was still with care, he practically dared it to try giving him doubts and changing his mind.

As Seto looked right around...perhaps a little suprised that there was more to be said...he pulled the folded paper from his pocket, and held it out in offering, his gaze firm and locked to the brunette's.

There was no words needed. Even if it took a moment of confusion, he knew Seto would know exactly what he was doing. Yami never thought he would actually show Seto, but perhaps when the topic had first arisen, he just wasn't ready.

But now he was.

And weither or not Kaiba had been bluffing back then, Yami was going to call that bluff.

Because he wanted Seto to know that he remembered.

Even if only one of them did.

Seto's eyes stayed locked to the paper, cold and contemplating, the solid sheilds within his eyes guarding any thoughts and descisions forming in his mind. Yami just stood there, not relenting or looking away. He was beyhond that now.

The sapphires eventually turned away, a decision made but not clear. However, a moment later, Seto reached to where his sleeve was still rolled up on his left arm, and his fingers slipped carefully beneath the folded material, emerging a second later with a peice of paper, folded even more precicely and neatly that Yami's.

He turned to face Yami, the two males facing off the same as they would in a duel. Neither backing down, and refusing to allow the other to do so.

He held out his own paper, and the boys calmly exchanged. Matching time as they often did without intention, they turned back to back, and unfolded the paper within their own hands.

Yami felt his heart race, and he took a very small breath, as he allowed his eyes to absorb the words that came together in Seto's poem;

_**Never Again**_

_People always say that_

_evil resides in darkness,_

_but you have proven otherwise._

_You act all so perfect,_

_but you're fractured worse_

_than a broken mirror._

_Trust was extended to you,_

_and what did you do_

_but wrangle that hand?_

_Give me no excuses_

_for what you did._

_I'll hear none_

_and accept none._

_No reason justifies _

_your betrayal._

_What happened to the_

_innocence I used to see?_

_The pure meanings_

_and the good intentions?_

_You took the image and_

_shoved it down my throat._

_Don't ask for a second chance,_

_or for time to go back._

_For now I know what_

_you're capable of._

_As you push others away,_

_you push me away._

_Perhaps one day I will_

_learn to look at you_

_once more._

_Perhaps one day I can_

_meet your gaze without_

_feeling fury._

_But don't ever ask..._

_don't ever wonder..._

_For I will never offer my forgiveness._

_I will never..._

_forgive you._

The quiet russle of paper whispered into the tranquil air, as Yami's hands shook.

The potent anger in the words ripped at his chest.

_'Who?'_

He wished he could resist thinking it, but he couldn't.

Who was this about? Who was Seto so furious at?

Who had betrayed him to the point he would refuse to bury the hatchette?

Warily, he peeked over his shoulder. Kaiba was holding his own poem in one hand up at eye level, but again it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

However, he knew the tension now flowing into the cool air wasn't just from him.

When Seto finally shifted again...his eyes looking away from the poem...Yami turned back towards the ceo, his mouth opening a bit to ask a question that didn't exist...until seto held the poem back over his shoulder.

Blinking once, Yami reached up and took his poem, slipping Seto's back into his hand. Each took their time to refold the paper and return both to their original hiding places, but by the time Yami turned back around, a quiet gasp left him as Seto was already walking away.

"Seto?"

He wasn't shocked when Seto didn't answer, but it was still frustrating. He followed after the male, his destination appearing to be the hotel.

Had Seto understood? Was he angry or upset by it? Yami had wanted to know if the memory still existed for the ceo, but at the same time he'd been terrified to find out.

He followed a few metres behind, not sure if he should approach right now. He kept his tongue well in check, not wanting to invade his rival's privacy, despite his desire to know what he thought of the poem.

They reached the bottom of the hill, and Yami's feet automatically turned to make the steep walk.

However, they came to a hault when Seto's didn't.

The ceo was walking away from the hotel, and if Yami's sharp eyes didn't decieve him, he could've sworn the brunette was heading towards the forest on the edge of town!

He looked between his rival and the hotel desperately. It was late, they were already meant to be back in their rooms, and lights out would be soon. Of course it wasn't another lecture from the teachers that worried him. Heck no...

...it was a lecture from _Yugi_ that made him hesitant.

He didn't want to worry his hikari, and Mokuba was in there somewhere to...didn't Seto want to get straight back to him?

Going against his better judgement, he finally chose to follow after the other male, now determined to know what would made him leave Mokuba on his own after curfue. True the hotel was completely safe, but Seto was so protective of his brother...did he really trust the staff enough to take care of his sibling?

After a short walk...in which Yami did his best not to shiver at the cold air...his thoughts were proven correct as the ceo indeed made his way into the forest. Gritting his teeth, he quickly followed, catching up a bit, knowing this was foolish and completely unlike Kaiba.

_'What in Kami's name are you doing Seto? You should know better! You may not let teachers make descisions for you, but you're hardly one to break rules!'_

"Seto! Where are you going!" He finally called out when the ceo headed away from the marked path, "We're not meant to be out here!"

"And why not?" Came the sharp, short answer.

Yami was almost stunned by how little care there was in Seto's voice, like he wasn't even thinking about concequences for breaking curfue.

"You know why! I don't care what the teachers say, but please excuse me if I try to respect rules when they're fair! They forbid us from being out here!"

Kaiba suddenly came to a hault, and made the past life pharaoh freeze as he looked around at him. He held up a finger, as if telling Yami to wait before he said anything more, before turning the same finger to point at a thick, rather old and slightly battered looking tree. Yami watched as he turned and walked to said tree, and leant against it, facing his rival.

"Beyhond this point...they can't say a damn thing."

"Seto? What are you...?"

"Of course if your so eager to monitor good behaviour, then I could always say you're trespassing if you follow me any further." Kaiba added with one of his cruel smirks.

As he turned and began walking again, Yami gasped quietly and ran to the tree, though instantly paused, inspecting the worn and chipped bark, it's colour that of a sickly grey.

From this point? Just what was Seto talking abo...

_'I bought a large area of land within the forest by the town...'_

_'...It's a descent peice of land that's right there for me use as I see fit whenever I choose, and no one can say otherwise.'_

The conversation from the cafe clicked in his head.

So was this tree the marker for where the land owned by the young ceo began?

"Seto wait!"

The brunnette stopped and looked around with a somewhat impacient look.

"Oh? So is trespassing the one rule you don't mind bending?"

Yami stopped a short distance from him, and his eyes narrowed in a glare.

"You should know by now Seto Kaiba, that if you want me to back off or get lost, then you just need to tell me." He almost growled in return.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed to return the glare, before he looked away.

"Go ahead Seto! If it's the truth then just say you want me to leave!" Yami heard himself shout.

No he didn't want to leave, but he really didn't want to play this game.

His eyes focused on Kaiba's back, knowing he'd feel it, just as well as he felt Kaiba's pride rising to match his. He noted how the Ceo's fist clenched tightly.

"I want you to...!" Kaiba growled, his teeth almost clenching.

Yami sighed heavily, looking away.

"...remain."

The quiet, cautious whisper was like nothing Yami had ever heard. He looked back around, seeing how the fist had relaxed into an open palm, and feeling that Kaiba's pride was retreating back to where it always laid dormant and ready to pounce if provoked.

The brunette's bare feet barely made a sound as he stepped through the bushes and over randomly placed rocks. No question left to hold him up, Yami followed after him once more, still remaining a small distance behind him, and not speaking a word...

...but now he wasn't afraid...

...This time...he trusted Seto.

_

* * *

_

ok, as some of you already know, this chapter has been cut in half, the other half now being chapter 14 ^-^

This was truly fun to write! I hope you enjoyed!


	14. Chapter 14

_Well, ok...just a quick reminder..._

_To those who read chapter 13 the whole way through before this change was made, you will not need to read this (unless you want to XD), as it is just the second half of the original chapter 13._

_To anyone else who hasn't read it, then please enjoy! ^-^ I reeeaally hope this turned out good!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of it's characters...however, the song in this belongs to me...no pinchy! ^^_

_

* * *

_

_**chapter 14:**_

He had no idea how long they walked for, it seemed almost an eternity. But then, he couldn't care less.

This was a strange situation just following the tall male through the dark forest. They must have been pretty deep into it by now, and Yami's stomach was attempting to make him feel anxious again, whilst his feet berated him for absently dropping his shoes back on the beach!

It didn't stop him from following Seto though, the taller male's steps so strong and confident that there was no doubt he knew exactly where he was going.

Still, there was no way the brunette would go through all this for something small.

What was so important to him?

He stopped almost in time with his rival, who had paused as a natural fork appeared. He watched as the ceo's head slowly drifted between the two directions.

Had Seto forgotten the way to his destination?

No...Yami reaconed Seto knew exactly where each path led, and was simply contemplating which destination he wanted to choose. Whilst waiting, his eyebrows bent a little as he thought he could hear water running not too far away.

He quickly turned his attention back as Kaiba finally made his choice, taking the right path, which headed up a small slope. Yami felt a short pang of disappointment, since he'd rather hoped Seto would pick the left path, which instead was down hill.

He grinned to himself, tempted to laugh at how lazy he could be sometimes.

He followed along on the grassy path, his eyes adjusted to the dark, though without the moonlight filtering in from somewhere, he didn't doubt it would be far harder to make this trip. He noted absently how the path curved around a bit, and that the sound of water was getting louder.

The trees around him quite abruptly vanished, as they came to a narrow clearing, where a stream was flowing gracefully right down the middle. Yami looked on in awe, stunned by just how clear the water was even at night. As he moved closer, he noticed...and rather liked...how even though it stayed in the centre of the clearing, there were gentle curves all along, and tiny drops in the level of the ground made minature waterfalls here and there.

Not that he'd seen too many streams or rivers before, but this subtle little version had to be the most pleasant one so far.

"This is beautiful..." He whispered absently.

"Try it."

Yami looked around to Seto, unsure of his meaning.

"Have a drink."

Blinking in suprise, Yami looked back down to the stream, before he knelt on the bank, and cupped his hands, letting them glide slowly into the water. He flinched as his fingers just about froze.

_'So, something so innocent does have some bite to it? I suppose I should know better...considering I've got Yugi.'_

He raised his hands and brought the clear liquid to his lips, closing his eyes as he lent his head back.

It trickled down his throat like tiny drops straight from a peice of ice, and caused him to shiver as he felt it slide all the way to his stomach. But despite the tempurature, he could only feel a calm pleasure as he looked back to Seto.

"It's so fresh..."

"It comes from a spring high up on one of the mountains behind the town." Kaiba answered calmly, and copied his rival, kneeling down to take a drink of the liquid ice.

As he stood, Yami thought about what he knew on rivers, and a sad look flashed through his eyes momentarily.

"Does it just end up in the ocean?" He whispered.

"Eventually." Seto answered also standing.

Maybe he was imagining it, but Yami thought he heard the tiniest spark of disaproval in the ceo's voice.

Did he also think it was a shame that such unique beauty would eventually wind up being swallowed into the massive sea?

He couldn't tell just by looking at the sapphires...since they were turned away from him again. Instead, he just followed their gaze, and blinked as he saw that further down...in the direction that they'd come from...it looked like the stream vanished. He tilted his head curiously, before a glimpse of movement made him look back to Seto casually...

...He almost didn't catch his tongue in time.

Kaiba had pulled his shirt off his shoulders, and was...oh so casually...letting it slide down his arms, revealing the lean, powerful muscles of his back. Yami kept his hand clamped visciously hard over his mouth, but his eyes wouldn't work with him and look away. He desperately tried to stop his mind from making small, unnecessary observations, like how the smooth skin wasn't quite as pale against his as he'd originally thought, Yami's just having a slight tan that Kaiba's didn't.

His will power was the only thing that stopped him from biting his own finger to avoid gasping when Kaiba's shirt hit the ground, and he proceeded to slip his white pants down his legs. Using all the strength he could muster, he finally managed to turn his gaze away, though when he glanced back, he was at least a bit relieved to know Kaiba wasn't going to remove the long dark blue swim trunks he'd had on hidden beneath his pants.

Instead, the brunette stepped carefully into the stream, which wasn't very deep, only coming up to the tall male's knees. Yami just stared at him dumbfounded.

"Seto that water's freezing!"

The sapphires turned to face him, and Yami was taken back by the look he was given. It wasn't so much angry as just plain uncaring. Seto must have been able to feel the icy water, but it was as if he purely and bluntly didn't give a damn.

"I told you there was no point before..." Seto whispered, before turning and walking slowly through the stream.

Yami went to ask what he meant, but then remembered how his rival had declined sitting by the fire earlier.

So he'd planned to come out here all along?

Though the cold didn't bother him the same as it did Yugi or his grandpa, he really didn't like the sound of purposely stepping into the arctic water.

_'I...I can't...can I? This would never have bothered me in the past...no, calm down...it means nothing more than keeping your clothes dry...'_

Taking a deep breath, Yami began to remove his own clothes, pulling the hoody over his head, and letting his jeans drop, now eternally grateful that he'd kept his swim trunks on. He gripped his necklace protectively, not sure if he should take it, but not having the courage to leave it behind.

He refused to step into the water, and instead walked along the bank, staying close to Seto.

_'Typical. Just when I start being comfortable whenever I'm around him, Kaiba just has to throw a new element in to make things awequard.'_

Only the wind through the leaves, and the water shifting where Seto walked broke the silence they maintained along the stream.

Quick glances showed Yami the focus in Seto's eyes, but still...at this rate he'd never figure out what was going on!

The walk was longer than it first appeared, but eventually they came to where the water seemed to be vanishing.

And no wonder why...it really was disappearing! It fell from a short cliff straight down into an opening in the ground.

Just infront of the minture waterfall was another opening. This one however, was on a slope, and was big enough for a person to walk inside.

Uncertain but not overly suprised, Yami watched as Seto jumped down the small cliff, his legs long enough to do so without a hastle. He himself was a bit more careful on the way down, though it still took him practically no effort at all.

The cave before them was dark, and so he didn't let himself fall far behind the ceo, having no desire to loose sight of him as he walked in as confidently as if he was at school or at his job. Not nearly as relaxed, Yami couldn't say it was pleasant...the ground was slippery and the dim light actually irritated his eyes, but he kept his footing and didn't let seto out of his sight.

All the time they kept moving, he noted that the rushing of water was still present, and eventually, Yami had to look up in puzzlement, as he was certain he now heard it coming from above. It was weird and somewhat unerving.

Finally, the ground levelled out, and Yami felt his eyes light up in amazement.

The sound of water coming from above wasn't a trick or an echo, it was the stream running through some unseen passage to end here, where it cascaded down in small, multiple waterfalls so smoothly that they seemed like pale blue silk curtains hanging from somewhere above, whilst each disappeared into it's own hole within the ground.

Feeling as if he'd just stepped into a mystical place far beyond earth, Yami followed each step of the ceo's, the brunnette flickering in and out of his sight around the water, until the small ones vanished, giving way to where the cave disappeared, leaving a wide exit, the outside world hidden by a thin veil of water.

The much larger waterfall wasn't roaring or pounding, instead, there was just a calm gushing sound from where it joined another unseen body of water.

Despite being so crystal clear, the rushing motion still made it impossible to see just what lay beyond. It merely teased with a blur of colours that failed to present a clear image.

_'The cave that the stream fell into back outside mustn't go as deep as this one, and followed some underground passage that got into the rocks above us...'_

Lightly scolding himself for trying to interpret mother nature's fine work of art, Yami turned his attention back to his true reason for being here.

"Seto...?"

Said teen had stopped just infront of the waterfall, and slowly looked around at the quiet call. The blue orbs shined even in this dimlight, and the forgein softness within them told Yami that they'd finally arrived. Whatever Kaiba was seeking lay just beyond the penetrable wall.

Their eyes stayed connected for a short period that neither counted, a feeling of anxiousness circling them both. Yami knew it wasn't just his nerves at seeing whatever it was that was hidden...he could feel nerves of equal strength coming from Kaiba, and in that instant, he came to realise that whatever it was...

...he was the first one to see it.

Seto had never shown anyone else.

Whatever the silent message that passed through them translated as, it ended gracefully, and seto turned...disappearing through the makeshift curtain.

Feeling honoured by the knowledge that had just come to him, Yami followed without hesitation...well...atleast until he got to the waterfall itself. He could have kicked himself as he looked up and down the cascading water, feeling the same kind of expression a child might wear if they whined _'do I have to...?' _grow on his face.

He was three quarters naked, and the night air was cold enough without him getting wet! If he'd known he'd be faced with this, he might as well have just walked in the stream!

Scolding himself harsher this time, he took a deep breath, and raised his hand to step through, when he glanced to the side. A narrow gap seperated the rocky wall and the water, and a small ledge granted a pathway out the side.

Feeling like a silly child, but none the less praising Ra, he quickly scooted over and pressed his back against the wall. Keeping his body as flat as possible, he slid his feet across the smooth ledge, cringing here and there when spray hit his skin.

_'I don't care how much you like the cold Kaiba...there's no way this water didn't freeze you as well!' _He thought bitterly.

As he came out from behind the waterfall, the end of the ledge widdened slightly, just enough that he could balance without pressing him against the rocks at his back.

However...he could've almost fallen in when he raised his ruby eyes to see what greeted him.

He was standing within a large clearing, circled so neatly by tall, lush trees, almost like the collumns one saw in greek arctitecture. The ground was a beautiful green carpet of long, visibly soft grass. The waterfall itself fell into a beautiful half moon lake that took up a large part of the clearing, and upon either side, smaller falls like the ones inside fell from where water divided above, and ran down rocks that jutted out from the main wall, like a frame to the centre peice.

Small rocks sat like jewels within a crown through the lake, and upon one of these in front of the waterfall, stood Seto, his gaze staring up high to where the water came rushing out of the rocky wall.

No..He was staring higher...to the sky glistening with more stars than Yami had ever seen at once, even if the moon's light over powered those closest to it.

Yami was too captured in the beauty of this place to even care why they were here anymore. If the only reason was to experience such tranquil elegance, then this whole journey was completely worth it.

Minding his step, he used the rocks as stepping stones, and made his way towards Seto, stopping upon the one closest to the ceo. He turned to face the massive body of water, and also stared up, feeling the power of even such a subtle waterfall. He'd never been this close to one before, and not putting up any resistance to his curiousity, he raised his hand up above his head, and slid it into the liquid wall.

The little rivers that formed their paths down his arm made him shiver, but he held on a bit longer, until he pulled back, cupping the hand to his mouth, and drinking the small pool of water in his palm.

It was still as sweet and fresh as back up at the stream.

He looked back to seto, again just watching as the brunette raised his own arms, cupped his hands, and used them to direct a small stream of water down to his face. The sapphires closed again, and once more, Seto seemed barely aware that he wasn't alone in the world.

Yami might have been upset by that, if he wasn't so focused on the fact that he'd never seen Seto so relaxed before tonight.

The beautiful teen was making no effort to hide how much he obviously liked the caress of the water. He looked so peaceful and natural...

...he...he looked...

...He looked just the way Yami felt when gazing upon fire.

_'Seto...'_

If was as if the moonlight shining down upon the clearing, was bringing something into view that even the powerful sunlight had failed to.

Yami turned more to face Seto, his eyes wide with realisation. He had always...and he knew he wasn't the only one...assosciated Kaiba with the element of ice.

_'But ice...ice is really...'_

Ice was nothing more than frozen water. The very same element in it's coldest, hardest form. Melt it, and it revealed it's softer side. Water could be cold and merciless...but it could also be gentle and soothing. In the form of ice, it could be unbreakable and stand against whatever force came at it...but as water, it could flow and adapt...accept whatever came it's way.

This water...

This was Seto.

In his truest form of all.

_'Seto...this is who he truly is...his spirit flows and adapts to whatever challenge greets it, just like water, weither he needs to be able to work around the challenge, or become like solid ice and stand firm to meet it head on. It's like how I can't stand to be contained or suffocated...why I fear the thought of being held down...just like fire...'_

A small gasp left the pharaoh as he remembered something, and clenching his hand for just a moment, he looked back up to the ceo, silently cursing that he would risk ruining this perfect moment.

"Seto...where does...the water continue to the sea?" He asked merely to break the silence, looking around but unable to see where the water continued it's journey.

"It flows underground through a small passage at the bottom of the lake, and comes back up at a spring not too far from the beach...that's where most people believe it to start." Seto answered almost absently.

However, there was a very clear hint in his tone that he knew that wasn't the thing Yami actually wanted to talk about, and so the pharaoh gave himself a light, mental shove, and got on with it.

"Seto, yesterday..." He paused, but only to find his words, "...Were you really...not angry?"

"What exactly were you expecting me to be angry about?"

Yami turned his body to face the ceo properly.

"You know what."

Unexpectedly, it was as if all of Yami's emotions came rushing up at once, and he fought to contain them.

"It's something I haven't told anyone...not...not even Yugi. I don't know why I haven't, but that's how it is!"

"Wow. So you do actually keep something to yourself?" Came the unsuprising sarcasm.

"Stop it Seto." Yami answered trying to keep calm, "You left the club acting like you were angry at me, but you still say that you weren't. I wanted to try and get past it, but how can I when I still don't understand your reaction?"

"What buisness of mine is it what you do with your spare time?"

The ceo's uncaring sarcasm was truly frustrating.

"Because I thought...!" Yami began, pausing to lower his voice and gaze, trying not to lose control, "...because I thought...out of everyone I know..."

He bit his lip, not wanting to finish.

"You thought I'd be the one person who wouldn't accept you were capable of something so different from dueling." Kaiba finished for him, his rival's silence acknowledging that to be the right answer, "Yet again you pressume something about me. Why should I care if you can dance?"

Yami just didn't answer, not sure what to say, just upset that the tranquil mood was disappearing.

Seto's eyes shifted to him when he didn't get some sort of retort, and the brunette gave a sigh.

"Are you really so desperate to know why I don't care?"

Yami looked back up at the serious whisper, and knew there was no sarcasm this time. Taking a silent, deep breath, he forced his emotions right back, and his posture changed as his look did, to firm, bold and strong, his eyes giving the only answer Seto would need, the ceo able to feel the gaze without looking.

"Then look for the reason I came here, and maybe you'll find out."

Yami could only blink in suprise as seto looked right around at him, a spark of amusement within his eyes, though they still remained very much serious.

"If you can find it, then it's not that hard to figure out."

With that, the ceo looked away, clearly telling his rival to get started. Yami could only stare around the clearing in puzzlement.

Find what exactly?

Just what was he supposed to be looking for? He couldn't see anything that stuck out.

_'I don't suppose it's just the scenery by chance?'_

Knowing this wasn't going to be easy, Yami took a deep breath, and began his search. He stepped carefully over each rock in the lake, crouching to check the clear water in case this so called secret was beneath the surface.

He made his way back behind the waterfall, checking there though not going too far from the clearing.

When that failed to present any clues, he went back out, again avoiding the water the best he could, and slowly made his way over to the land. The grass was almost silky on his feet, tempting him to just lay down and stare at the sky.

Grinning ever so slightly, he pushed the thought under the _'try it later' _list, and kept searching around.

He must have inspected the entire area for about twenty minutes. He checked everything thoroughly, doing his best to make sure he didn't miss anything.

_'The answer is suppose to be clear if I can find the clue...but just what am I looking for? What would bring Seto here?'_

Frustrated, he sat down against a tree, desciding to take a break from looking and try thinking instead. The area was very calming, and allowed him to clear his mind.

_Seto bought this area and the land around it, and that stopped others from destroying it. But what for? Did he want to protect this area? I can understand why others would want to keep this place safe, but seto would have some other reason for it...what would be so important to him?'_

Sighing heavily, he leant back against the tree, closing his eyes as one hand ran through his hair, the other tracing over the natural dents and lumps of the bark on the tree behind him.

He could almost have chuckled at how strange it felt under his fingers, mother nature really was a funny artist. It just felt so weird...

...infact, something just didn't feel right.

Opening his eyes and frowning, He moved back and looked to where his fingers were. Beneath them upon the bark, there were marks that were definately NOT natural.

Something was carved there, and quite low down the trunk, as if it had been done at a child's level. He shifted so he could see the mark better. It definately wasn't new...this must have been done years ago, but still he could make out the symbol. It was a kanji that he knew all too well.

"Otouto?"

The kanji for little brother? Just what was it doing...?

The answer slapped Yami hard in the face, and he couldn't believe his slowness.

What in kami's name was more important to Seto!

"Seto!" He called from where he was sitting.

The ceo didn't react, but Yami knew he'd heard.

"Mokuba! This place...it has something to do with him right! Did he ask you to protect it?"

"Mokuba has only been here once in his life, and he wouldn't remember it." Seto answered calm and blunt.

Yami felt dishearted, and dropped his gaze, but only for a moment, as seto's words didn't leave his mind when he expected them to.

_'A place he'll buy but won't use...that he'll keep how it is...a place important to him...somewhere that Mokuba has been...only once...and wouldn't...remember..."_

A loud gasp left him, one that must have been heard all over the clearing, as at that moment, Seto turned to face him, his eyes acknowledging the realisation in the ruby eyes that stared back at him.

"You see where you're sitting right now?" He called back, his voice low, but in the quiet clearing, it was still loud enough, "Right there...is where I saw my brother open his eyes for the first time."

"Seto..." Yami barely managed to respond, watching as the ceo stared back up towards the waterfall.

"This place...this...is where Mokuba was born."

Yami felt a strange sence of peace wash over him, as an internal warmth began flowing through his body. Without really intending, but in no way resisting, he began to move back towards the lake, his steps slow as he moved over the rocks, though it was as if he barely noticed himself doing so.

"This is why you bought the land...?" He whispered when he was barely a metre from the ceo, "...You bought the entire area so no one would find this place? And possibly destroy it?"

"I told you my reasons were selfish...didn't I?" The ceo whispered in return, the sapphire eyes glowing with emotions Yami knew he'd never seen before...memories visible only to Seto made their presence known within the orbs.

the brunnette looked back to the waterfall once more, and took in a quiet breath. Yami just waited in silence for whatever the ceo was going to say.

When the words came, he could only be left absolutely speechless, the knowledge of where he was, why he was there, and anything else but the person in front of him, and the voice in his ears...forgotten.

"This night of ice,

freezes my heart...

reminding me,

not all is well.

I cannot close my ears

to silence...

nor can I run from

the screams.

I hold on...

I hold on...

I cannot ever let go..."

Yami felt himself drawing in breath until his chest was expanded to it's limit, though it still tried to pull in more air.

"And now...

And now...

I fear that sadness,

the sympathy that

should not be mine.

Let me be strong...

if only for this night."

_"Its a shame, but as you see, Niisan doesn't like me playing this cassette outside my room anymore..." _

_"Why not?"_

_"Oh? You can't tell? It's because..."_

_'it's because...' _Yami whispered in his own mind, as the memory that seemed so long ago now returned.

"Brighter than the sun

up high...

More than the stars

in the sky...

No greater light

have I seen...

than that which I saw,

when you opened your eyes."

The song that Yami had fallen in love with the first time he'd heard it, and still lost himself in whenever he listened to it, remained unchanged from word to word...

...not even the voice was different.

The song died away at that point, not to be completed, but the same magic it seemed to create hung in the air, as Seto turned to meet the ruby eyes staring in nothing short of awe at him.

"...Still think I should care that you can dance?" Came the quiet whisper.

Yami thought he might cry, and though he would of course know better later, for this one blissful moment in time...

...he loved the person standing before him.

Smooth, pale skin glowing in the moonlight...spray from the waterfall making his face and hair shimmer...and sapphires that shone with more warmth than anything in the clearing.

The warmth drew him closer...he longed for it...he was desperate for it, so he could bid farewell to the cold embracing his body...

...and imprisoning his soul.

"GAH!"

The blissful little dreamland he'd stepped into was gone in a flash the way a dream always was, as Yami's lack of focus caused him to lose his footing on the smooth, wet rock.

Luckily for him, the rude interuption also vanished quick enough, as he felt a familiar grip enclose around his arm, and yank him forward.

It was just like the time in the elevator...except this time, instead of being thrown against a cold, steel wall, he was pulled into a warm, firm chest.

Never before had it been so very clear to Yami just how tall and strong Seto was, and yet it didn't bother him in the slightest. Of course he'd always stressed that there wasn't such a thing as a perfect person...but damn did the brunette come close!

The skin against the side of his face was smooth but firm where it hid the powerful muscles, which though subtle in appearance, always caught others off guard if challenged. He'd seen the result of such ill judgement in the past, and it made him smile that he could feel that same strength in a much more pleasant way.

The arm around his waiste held him securely, but without hurting him, as it kept him upon the rock that wasn't quite big enough to accomodate two people.

Seto's other hand was still clutching his arm where he'd caught him, and it seemed almost like the ceo wasn't planning to let go.

Not that Yami would at all mind if that was his intention. After just finding out that his favourite voice belonged to the one he might as well call his dream guy, he had no real desire to move from his current position.

He probably should have atleast tried...

A most familiar and chilling sound caught his attention then, and dread filled his stomach as he suddenly saw his situation in a very different view.

There was no mistaking what he'd heard either...he could never mistake Seto's cruel chuckle.

_'Kuso...what have I just gotten myself into?'_

Something was coming...and it was highly probable he wasn't going to like it!

...ok...he KNEW he wasn't going to!

The arm supporting him suddenly tightened, and a small gasp left him as he felt his feet leave the rock, only the tips of his toes keeping any sort of contact.

However, it was only afterwards when he felt a peculiar sensation that he realised just what was going on.

_'Oh shit!'_

Seto was quite intentionally...falling backwards!

Only a very short, paniced cry had time to excape Yami, before the ceo crashed back into the water, taking the past life pharaoh with him.

When the initial crashing of man made waves faded, only ripples and rising bubbles caused anymore interuptions to the melody of nature...at least until Yami burst back through the surface, his almighty curse echoing through the forest and rising to the heavens to disturb the gods from their slumber.

IT WAS SO COLD!

Gasping in shock, he hastily pulled himself up onto the nearest rock, squeezing his entire body upon the tiny sanctuary. He sat there shaking, his eyes wide and his teeth on the brink of chattering.

As he sat there hunched over, panting to regain the breath the freezing water had knocked out of him, his ruby eyes watched as the culprit for his current condition rose up through the surface with such grace that merely a few ripples were formed.

That face that had previously been so calm and gentle...couldn't be more smug and amused.

Yami glared back at him furiously, his teeth now gritted in anger instead.

Typical. The one night he really makes a fuss about the cold, and it comes back to haunt him!

Seto just raised an eyebrow at him, still clearly laughing internally. Yami could have slapped him if he was in arm's reach!

Now that he thought about it...maybe that's exactly what Kaiba was wanting him to do.

His actions and expressions were like a challenge, and now the ceo was calmly tredding water, waiting to see how his rival responded to said challenge.

That fact didn't really destroy Yami's anger...more correctly, it changed it to will power.

Seto already knew how he was going to react...he was simply taking his chance to nudge at his ego until he responded.

_'Well Seto...if you're so eager then how can I deny? I'm already wet and cold anyway...'_

Pushing himself up onto his feet, he suddenly sprang off the rock, right at the brunnette, and knocked straight into him, sending them both back under the freezing water.

Again there was a moment of peace, before the surface was broken again, this time by Seto.

The young male calmly wiped the excess water from his face, before looking around for his rival.

Except Yami was no where in sight.

Frowning in the way he would when contemplating an opponent's next move, he smoothly glided through the water, his eyes scanning the crystal like lake for anything out of the ordinary.

Inhaling lightly, he slipped under the surface, and swam beneath the waterfall to rise back up in the small gap between the cascading liquid and the cave.

He hauled himself back up into the dark passage with ease, immediately going on alert as he examined the area, his eyes narrowing in suspision.

He didn't deny Yami was quick, and there was no doubt to him that the smaller teen could have swam away and gotten past the waterfall out of view before seto had resurfaced.

However, he spotted nothing, and turned to exit the cave again.

Immediately...

...wasn't quick enough to realise his mistake.

He swiftly turned back, just as Yami burst through one of the smaller falls, and charged right into the taller male.

The sheer size difference didn't stop the force behind the tackle from knocking Seto clean off the ledge, sending him back through the cascading wall behind him.

Whilst Seto was clearly caught of guard, Yami could only smirk, making sure his hands were clutching tightly to the ceo's waiste.

He breathed in deeply, just before they crashed into the lake once more. The moment they were fully submerged, he pulled the still stunned ceo right against him, placed his mouth to the bare skin of the brunette's stomach, and forced out all the air he'd been holding.

A drowned out cry of shock caused the taller male to loose all his own air, and the next thing, Yami's wrists were caught by an unforgiving force, and wrenched from the slim body.

The ceo pushed him away hard, and swam back up. Yami got struck lightly on the side by one of the long legs as it kicked through the water. It was just enough to make him wince, but not enough to make him loose his grin as he quickly rose back up for air.

The second he'd taken a gulp of the clean, fresh oxygen, he greeted Seto with the very same, dark smirk he'd received before.

"What the hell was that!" The brunnette bellowed at him.

"My best tecnique against Yugi." Yami answered almost laughing, his cruel grin only widdening.

Then something he really wasn't expecting happened...

Kaiba's hand struck down into the water like a spear, pushed foward through it, and sent a wave at Yami as it came back up.

The ruby eyed teen raised his arm instinctively, startled by the action, but his smirk just changed to a frown, and he was fast to splash back. Kaiba raised his own arm in defense, and retaliated with equal speed.

To anyone else, a splashing fight between the world's top two duelists would seem quite unusual, but such a fact was unimportant to either of them.

They were rivals.

Competition was the origional reason for them even being aware of the other's existence.

If all else failed...even if this enchanting relationship didn't last...the bond created by their respect as competitors would always be there.

The proof was in the way they just naturally continued to battle even when they both were out of anger. They would test each other's speed and skill...battle with the mind and see who was the quicker thinker, and who would realise what the other would do before it was too late.

Seto would catch Yami off guard by moving towards the smaller male, making him instinctively back up, until he yelped in suprise as he suddenly found himself under the downpour of water, and Yami in return would dive under...kick off the rocky wall behind him, and grab the ceo's legs, swiftly pulling him under.

Neither relented, and both attacked with all their force each time, even when they began to tire.

When they at last did stop, it was mutual, a simple contact between their eyes the only sign of agreement they needed to descide they should call it quites before they wound up drowning themselves.

Yami hated to tear his eyes away, and only did so in order to get back to the bank. He dragged himself up, unbothered by the grass and dirt that automatically stuck to his hands and legs, before he rolled onto his back. He laid there, gently bringing his breathing under control as he waited for the exhaustion to pass.

He felt movement beside him, and heard Kaiba's quiet, controlled breathing.

At any other time he might have considered it weird, or possibly even jumped at the way they were laying so close to one another, but right now, nothing felt wrong about it.

"Seto, may I ask? Why haven't you ever brought Mokuba back here?" He asked quietly when he was able.

He could feel the way the ceo tensed beside him, and looked around in suprise. The sapphires were glaring at the sky, but Yami didn't miss the spark of hurt shining faintly through the barrier of anger and stubborness.

"I'm sorry, you don't have to say." He quickly spoke, looking up to the sky, realising the innocent sounding question must have hit the nerve of another, not so joyous topic.

"You don't understand it do you...?"

He glanced back at the unexpected whisper.

"Understand what?"

Seto released a weak sigh.

"...Say the first part of the song..."

Yami blinked, unsure what that had to do with it, but trusted Seto and narrowed his eyes as he thought about it.

"This..." He paused, momentarily forgetting the words that had pretty much been implanted in his mind otherwise;

"This night of ice,

freezes my heart...

reminding me,

not all is well."

His eyes widdened slightly.

"Did something else happen here?" He spoke in a hushed voice.

Kaiba unclenched his fists, though it seemed forced.

"...Ever wonder how Mokuba and I became orphans?"

Yami sat up so fast he feared he might have some how offended the person next to him.

The topic of his parents had to be one of Seto's most private subjects. Was he really about to divulge something about them to Yami?

He knew why they'd become orphans of course, but not the details.

"Our father grew ill and passed away when I was eight, and Mokuba three..."

The ceo's voice suddenly trailed off, and the anger took over his eyes, his hands balling into fists once more.

"...Your mother...?" Yami whispered hesitantly, dread starting to grow as he began to see where this was going.

"She died earlier...three years earlier..."

Yami felt undescribable coldness wash over him, and suddenly wanted to punch himself for making such a fuss about the physical cold earlier.

_'If Mokuba was only three when their father died...and their mother died three years before that...then...oh no...'_

"She died...right after giving birth to Mokuba."

Yami had prayed it wouldn't be the clear answer that had formed in his mind, but cringed heavily inside when his fears were confirmed.

"My parents and I were on holiday here whilst she was pregnant...a little last minute relaxation before her time was consumed with a new born, if you will. However, we came out for a walk and got lost in the forest...would you know it?...it was then she went into labour. Father believed it was the exhaustion of walking around so much, and how she'd been stressing about how dark it was getting at the time."

Seto stopped for a moment, his eyes closing for a mere second, before shooting back open.

"...She got to see her child for just a moment in time, before her body just...just..."

Yami jumped as Seto raised his arm and slammed his fist into the ground suddenly.

He caught a glimps of the rage on seto's face, before the ceo turned away and stood.

He stormed to the tree where the carving was, and leant against it. He kept his back to Yami, who could both see and feel the icy sheild raising again.

Seto had never shown so much emotion at one time...it must have been overwhelming for him to do so.

Yami's heart begged to be allowed to go over and comfort him...or atleast try, but the clear fact that the ceo needed some time kept that desire at bay.

A few minutes passed before the brunette stopped shaking, and Yami allowed himself to stand and move closer. He kept his steps slow, and when he finally stood by the ceo, the hand he placed upon his back was light, offering support but not forcing it upon the male.

"My father died when I was young. He did it to protect me." He said quietly.

He wasn't expecting this to make any difference to Seto, or give him any kind of comfort, but he didn't know what else to say.

"I...I don't remember my mother very much...only that she was a beautiful...kind...and very fair woman. Still, I wish I had more memories of her."

Kaiba didn't respond, but Yami could feel his aura settling. The sheilds weren't exactly gone, but there wasn't going to be any sort of icy retaliation to the sympathy.

"So which one gave you that ridiculous hair?"

Yami just stared at the completely unexpected question, but finally just had to chuckle.

"I'm not entirely sure...but I believe the black was from my mother..." He closed his eyes for a second, trailing through the distant memories, some clear, others still fuzzy, "...but...I think my eyes were from my father..."

He allowed himself a short time to dwell on the memory of the strong, dignified and loving face of his father.

"And you?" He then asked.

Kaiba looked up for a moment,as if thinking about it.

"Mokuba resembles father a lot, both with his unruly black hair, and grey eyes. I recieved mother's hair..."

Yami waited silently as he paused, not daring to ask the thing he wanted to know most...

Just where had he gotten his eyes?

"My eyes..." Seto continued, hushed, "...Are from my grandfather."

Well that was certainly unexpected, but it only gave off a spark of excitement in Yami.

"My parents and grandmother would always say my eyes were the spitting image of his...whilst he always denied it."

"How come?"

At that, Seto smirked.

"Because he was a stubborn grouch."

Yami couldn't help but also smirk at that, though he also wanted to smile at the fondness within Kaiba's eyes at the memory, though weither or not the ceo was aware he was showing such emotion wasn't clear.

But definately for certain, was that Yami wished he could have a glimps of this stubborn, grouchy man who had gifted his ceo...yes...HIS ceo...with such brilliant, elegant eyes. True he liked to think of those eyes as Seto's and Seto's ALONE...but he still would have liked to see what it was that Seto could.

"What was he like?" He asked without thinking, though descided to go with it, "Besides stubborn and grouchy?"

He wanted to chuckle at the thought that maybe his eyes weren't the only quality Seto had recieved from his grandfather.

"Fussy." Seto answered a bit bluntly, "Sometimes he wanted Mokuba and I around to put us to sleep with lectures on everything he could think of...other times he didn't want to be disturbed at all. He just wanted to sit on the veranda in the same seat every time and read."

The words may have created a not so flattering image, but Yami could hear the different attitude in Seto's tone. If one only listened to the words, his grandfather might have sounded very boring and perhaps not someone you'd like to be around a whole lot. But there was no way that was how Seto really felt, that was far too clear to Yami, but he'd allow the ceo that privacy...his emotions were obvious enough, there was no need to ask him to put them into words.

"You should bring him..."

He looked back around to the moon as he whispered, feeling a warmth he didn't know the opponent of the sun could bring. It was different from the sun, but just was as strong.

"Mokuba...I think he'd be ready to see it now."

It must have been a painful topic for Seto. He wasn't stupid, and there was no way he would never plan to bring Mokuba here at some point, even if he wasn't one to dwell on the past. He was protective of his brother, but not to the point he would deny him the truth. If he had waited this long, it was because he wasn't certain that Mokuba was ready.

He felt Seto shift behind him, knowing his eyes were upon him, before they must have followed his own gaze to the guardian of the night sky.

However, he was interupted by a light, sort of frustrated shove.

"I'm aware of that." The ceo grumbled a bit defensively as he made to walk past Yami.

However, he stumbled to the side as the ruby eyed teen shoved him back.

"Sure you are." He replied shortly with a frown, not sure himself if he was teasing or being defensive.

Seto's frown matched his, and the ceo shoved him again, this time with both hands and a bit harder. Yami was quick to retaliate, and pushed him back.

Both pairs of eyes narrowed, the challenge made.

Seto reached foward swiftly, so fast that if Yami hadn't automatically reacted, he'd likely have been caught. As the ceo tried to grab him, he moved foward, and placed his hands upon the taller male's shoulders. Quickly bending his knees slightly, he kicked off the ground, and pushed himself above the ceo's head.

Yugi had used this a few times on him, and usually wound up over his back and clinging like a koala...it was a very suprising move coming from dear little Yugi, however...Yami had reacted automatically, and not had a second to consider the fact that Yugi wasn't as short against him as he was against Seto.

With a yelp, he grasped Seto's shoulder and arm, trying not to slip to the ground. But the unexpected weight was making Seto stumble. He reached up, trying to pull his rival off, but the smaller male just shifted, climbing over his back, though Seto's wet skin was making it very hard to keep his grip.

Seto growled, grabbing his hands and trying to yank him off, whilst Yami fought to hold on, even wrapping his legs around the slim waiste.

Naturally, it was only a matter of time before the feirce tug of war game sent them both crashing to the ground...it didn't however...stop the wrestling match. The pair continued to roll around...pushing, shoving and pulling...both determined to not let the other dominate the fight.

Mother nature was the only witness, and watched over the teenagers as they were caught in the clash of their egos, just like before, and as always...neither relenting, not until exhaustion called an end to the game.

Yami laid there panting heavily, his eyes shut tight as he struggled to get his breath back. It was a few minutes before he could even think right, and when he did, the first thought that registered was the question of just how he'd wound up on his back on the ground once more?

"Do you want an apology?" He asked then, the words the first to come from his mouth.

"Do so, and I might just find the strength to hit you." Seto answered beside him.

Yami could only smirk, his eyes staying closed even as his body began to relax.

How long had they been out now? Was it hours? Was it perhaps only one or two hours? Could they be risking the dawn's arrival before they returned to the hotel?

The thought couldn't contain his attention for long, he was too tired to dwell on it.

He could feel seto's arm beneath his head in the position they'd ended up in...laying right by each other, their bodies a fraction away from touching.

The long, slender arm was rather comfortable...perhaps only because he was as tired as he was, but none the less it caused him no discomfort. He could feel heat from the body next to him, a resiliant force to the night air, refusing to disappear simply because of the lack of sun...

Seto flinched and looked swiftly around. He stared in total shock as the smaller form of his rival curled up beside him, seeking the warmth his over worked body was giving off. The teen seemed hardly aware of what he was doing, as if he was most of the way on the journey to slumber land.

Seto's body tensed feircely, his eyes widdening as he seemed completely unsure what to do.

He should push him off...tell him to keep his distance...he should...

In an instant, the tension left his muscles, as they just relaxed completely on their own. His eyes softened in uncertaintly, a look he would never have allowed had the ruby eyes been open and looking at him.

He felt his body curl in towards the smaller figure hesitantly, his eyes not leaving the face of the resting male, not yet asleep but just as blissfully unware of anything.

With a heavy but still quiet sigh, he let his own eyes slip closed, as he lowered his face into the crown of black, gold and crimson hair.

It was far softer than its spiked form let on.

* * *

Yami's eyes snapped open with a start. He couldn't tell if he'd been sleeping or simply on the verge of doing it. He sat up, his mind completely blank about where he was or what was going on, atleast until he looked around and saw Kaiba standing.

The teen looked around at him as he was brushing grass off his arms.

"I have to get back to Mokuba." He said quietly, his voice sounding a bit lost, though he turned back to getting the grass off his skin.

Yami sat there, and sighed as the memories slowly awoke within. He smiled slightly, and stretched his relaxed muscles, before standing and immatating the ceo.

"There's no way I'm going to get to sleep with the scolding thats coming my way..." He replied when his voice was ready.

"Do you care?"

Yami grinned slightly at the tiny hint of tease in the brunnette's tone.

"Only that I would worry Yugi...but otherwise, no."

He stretched again, and stepped foward a bit, before stopping.

"...Thankyou..."

He felt the sapphires turn to him.

"Thankyou Seto." He repeated quietly.

Kaiba didn't answer, but then walked past him.

"Come on." He said shortly, heading towards the lake.

Yami followed him across the rocks slowly, wobbling a bit from where his body was still a bit too relaxed. When he over balanced, he felt Seto grab his wrist, and pull him back up.

Rubys and sapphires met once more, and Yami noted the way Seto hadn't let go of his wrist, and also how he in return, was now gripping back. The two just stared at one another, contemplating the same thing, but only for a moment, before Seto's eyes darted away to look around the clearing, and Yami understood the hesitation in the beautiful blue eyes.

_'Not here...'_

He let his grip slacken, and pulled his arm from Seto, the motion making the ceo look back around, before he turned and disappeared once more through the waterfall.

Yami looked to the cascading wall of blue, before staring around the clearing, admiring it's beauty once more, unable to supress the honour and gratitude he felt for having been able to see such a magical place...

...a place so deep in meaning to Seto.

"Thankyou." He whispered, not sure weither it was to the place, or the memory of Seto's parents.

Either way, he gave a small bow of respect with his head, before bravely walking through the waterfall, tensing at it's coldness, but not regretting it. Seto was waiting for him on the other side, and led the way back from where they'd come.

There wasn't a word spoken between them as they made the journey back out of the cave, and along the stream. It felt like Yami had come back to the real world, as if the clearing had been a seperate land all together. Seto trailed just ahead of him in the stream, whilst Yami stuck to the land again. He dipped his foot in on occassion, but wasn't quiet willing to walk all the way through it.

Finally, they reached the spot where they'd left their clothes, and Yami stiffened a sigh of relief to know nothing was gone...even though he'd known no one else was around the area. They kept their backs turned as they pulled their clothes back on.

Again Yami wondered just how long they'd been gone, his mind a bit more willing to work right now. He'd told Yugi he wouldn't be long, no doubt he would be furious at his alter ego by now. And what about Mokuba? Seto had played the adult and sent him to bed, was he going to be worried to?

"Hm? Hey, Seto?" He finally spoke as a curious little memory played in his head.

"Hm?" Was Seto's only response.

Yami turned to him as he finished pulling his hoodie on.

"What was it you didn't want Mokuba to make you say?"

The ceo's eyes bent in confusion.

"Back at the beach earlier, Mokuba didn't want to go to bed...you told him you'd both prefer it if he didn't force you to say something...?" Yami clarified.

Seto glanced away to let the memory come back to him. When it did return, he gave a smirk.

"...Do as your told."

Yami looked a bit dumbfounded as the ceo smirked around at him, before very abrumptly, the tranquil air came alive with laughter not from just one male...but both of them.

Seto was laughing just as much as Yami at the idea of saying such a cliche parent line...and the sound kept the smile upon Yami's face even after their laughter fell quiet.

Their eyes met automatically, as they shared a grin, Seto's the same bad ass expression he liked to wear, though it was much more playful than cruel.

Yami turned away with a slight chuckle, feeling Seto do the same thing. This wasn't even an actual date, and yet it was the best night he'd spent with the ceo. He was sad that it had to end, he could've stayed in the clearing with Seto for...

He looked around swiftly as he felt movement next to him. The ceo's height forced him to stare up to see his face as he stood so close. The smirk was gone, no sign of a smile or anything left.

However, his eyes were still intense, a hesitant desire that Yami understood all too well trying to hide behind the ice.

He glanced away, but only for a second, his ruby eyes looking back with the same intensity that greeted him. He turned his body to face the ceo, and slowly, closed the gap between their bodies.

He found he was already missing the feel of seto's skin, which now lay hidden beneath his clothes, but it didn't distract him much from the gorgeous face his eyes were locked to.

He remembered the first time this situation had taken place...a feirce challenge that neither had been willing to accept at the time...then the second time...they'd been willing to try, but maybe the interuption was an act of fate...

This...this was their time...

And their time alone.

Yami reached up, placing his hand to Seto's shoulder...not gripping or pulling, just resting it there...and raised up on his toes as far as he could. Seto in return, leant down towards him, his large hand finding the back of Yami's head, gently guiding him foward, temporarily reminding the smaller male of the time in the restraunt when the ceo had helped him with the bleeding wound on his head.

They held their positions just an inch from the other's face, letting their eyes linger upon each other for awhile, a last reassurance to both of them that this was ok...neither was here against their will...and that this time, neither had to be afraid.

The silent promise made to each other, their eyes closed, and after so long of keeping the desire down, they finally granted it's wish, and let the gap between them fade away.

Yami had forgotten what it was like to kiss. He'd forgotten the rush of emotions that came when a first kiss was shared.

Seto was so gentle, his lips were as soft and smooth as the rest of his skin, and though no longer hesitant, his hold on the past life pharaoh was kind, not rough.

Yami was losing himself to the contact, and absently noted how his other arm raised up, joining it's partner in wrapping around the ceo's neck. Just the same, he now felt Seto's other arm slide around his waiste, pulling him closer.

This wasn't the first time He'd been kissed...far from it...

But...this would be the one...he would consider his first!

This was the first true kiss he'd always wanted.

A jagged stone perhaps...? He couldn't tell...but something sharp and painful suddenly found it's way beneath his foot then, sending a bolt of pain the entire way up his body.

It was so sudden and painful that he cried out, the sound muffled by the lips still against his own. He squirmed feircely as the pain coursed through his foot, desperate to pull out whatever it felt like was stuck in there.

And then he suddenly felt lost.

It took a second to realise that Seto had pulled away from him in an instant. He was standing back from him, his eyes wide in what could only be called horror.

Though the pain was still there, yami's now opened eyes could only grant attention to the brunnette, startled by the fear within the sapphires.

"Seto?" He whispered, and slowly reached a hand foward, wanting to know what had shocked his ceo so badly.

But his simple action seemed to snap the brunnette out of his shocked state, and before he could say anything, the taller male dashed away past him.

"SETO! What is it!" He yelled after him, before his brain screamed to chase him.

He bolted after the taller male, his speed the only thing allowing him to keep up with him. Still, those few seconds head start gave the brunnette quite an advantage. Yami called for him to stop, actually begging him to say what was wrong.

The ceo however, just kept running, as if he was a wild animal fleeing from a predator. It was as if the direction didn't even bother him, since there was no way they were going back the way they'd come. Yami was exhausted and tripped twice over the rough landscape, but didn't let himself stop.

He followed as Seto slid down a small hill, and watched as he ran into a small strip of land where...strangely...the trees parted ways, but it was too dark to see why.

But more confusing, was the way Seto suddenly haulted, his eyes turning to the side as a strange, bright yellow light illuminated his whole body, and a horrible, peircing screech...like an animal in pain...filled the air.

And then the world disappeared around Yami, as he watched a large, strange object plow straight into Seto, sending the strong, powerful figure of his rival and boyfriend...

Crashing into the hard surface below his feet, where he laid motionless...the sapphire hidden behind closed lids...

"SETOOOOO!"

* * *

_*Ehem*...yes...well, all I can say is..._

_*dives under a mountain of pillows* PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!_

_In the words of the narrator from 'George of the Jungle'..."Nobody dies in this fanfic...they just get really big booboos."_

_In any case, I can't say too much...but be assured this is NOT a death fic...so don't panic too much._

_I really hope this was enjoyable, again, I had so much fun writing it! (other than the ending of course XD)_

_please read and review!_


	15. Chapter 15

_Ok, just like the last two chapters, this chapter was originally one half of a much longer chapter. However, after seeing it's length, and with some advice, I descided to split it into two once more. I would have liked to have kept it as one, but lol...I didn't want to give anyone sore eyes from reading too long ^^'_

_This might sound a bit cheesy, but I have to pause and thank my mum, who gave me so much medical advice for this chapter! :D...*grins*...and for her help, I also thank miss Mistress of Imagery! (lol, again, you know who you are :P)._

_Anyway, thanks for waiting, please let me present chapter 15! Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of its characters._

_

* * *

_

_Chapter 15:_

There was noise all around him...

...but he couldn't register any of it.

People rushed backwards and forwards past him...

...but everything was just a blur of colours.

Where was he?

Were people talking to him?

He felt numb, and completely unaware of anything.

Did the world around him even exist?

If he closed his eyes, would everything fade away?

Would _he _just disappear?

"Yami...Yami...YAMI!"

Yami?oh...that was his name, right?

Someone wanted his attention? He wasn't so sure he wanted to leave this world of nothing...

"YAMI!"

His forehead tingled slightly, a strange warmth flowing through the dead centre of it. Whether he wanted it to or not, it began to clear his vision and hearing. His head tilted up, looking for the source of the noise.

There was a pair of eyes staring back at him...bright amethysts that looked worried.

Why? What was this person before him worried about?

Did he know that face? It felt like he should...

"Yu..."

Was that his voice?

Yes, but why was it so weak?

The warmth upon his head grew and grew, slowly bringing him out of the lost void he was within.

"Yugi?"

And then the warmth shot through his brain like a bullet, bursting with flashes that awoke everything within him...his brain...his heart...his senses...

Running...chasing...

A bright light and terrifying screech...

And then...

_'SETOOO!'_

"YUGI!" He gasped loudly, his body springing forward from its seat to embrace the smaller boy in front of him, as the glowing sennen eye symbol on his forehead slowly began to fade.

"Yami..." The smaller boy answered, sounding somewhat relieved, though still terrified as his eyes shone with withheld tears, his arms coming up to wrap protectively around the taller male.

Now he remembered. He was in the hospital, waiting...

...just...waiting...

"Yami...what happened?" Yugi asked when he finally pulled back.

"Yugi gave us a nasty fright back at the hotel Yami, what's going on?" Honda asked, alerting Yami to the presence of his friends.

* * *

_"Yami!"_

_Yugi sat bolt up right, his shout of fear causing everyone to wake up, a few even tumbled out of bed._

_"What in the name of Ra is going on!" Otogi grumbled, sitting up._

_"Yugi, what is it?" Rishid asked as he quickly located the source of noise, before glancing up at a leg dangling in front of him, where Malik had barely saved himself from falling off the top bunk._

_"Yami...where's Yami?" The boy trembled, his body shaking with his voice._

_"Relax Yug...He's right..." Jou yawned, before stopping dead in his tracks as he saw Yami's bunk was empty._

_"Yugi, the puzzle..." Bakura spoke up, indicating to the sennen item on the table by the bunks._

_It was glowing brightly, and Yugi himself was holding his forehead, as the image of the sennen eye glowed upon it._

_"Hello! Yugi? Yami? Anyone? Are you there?" Came an urgent voice, accompanied by banging on the door._

_Malik...already half out of bed...jumped down and answered it._

_"Mokuba? What's up?"_

_"Do you guys know where my brother is? I know he didn't go to bed when I did, but it's been hours, and he's still not back." The small boy pleaded, his eyes watering, though he fought back the tears._

_"Both Yami and Kaiba are missing? What's going on?_"_ Honda questioned, now more alert._

_"Yugi." Jou suddenly spoke up, his voice awake and serious, "...Where's Yami?"_

_All eyes turned to the smaller boy, as he struggled worse than Mokuba to hold back his tears._

_

* * *

_

"Yami?"

_'Oh no...'_

Terror rumbled like thunder from an approaching storm in his stomach, as he turned to face Mokuba, who had stepped around the others into view.

"Yami? Is Niisan with you? I can't find him anywhere at the hotel, and he won't answer his phone." The boy asked quietly.

_'Please...spare me this punishment...whatever I did...please spare me...'_

Yami's mouth opened, but he just couldn't speak, neither his voice or his heart were willing.

His gaze dropped in fear, before slowly, the rubies looked up, and turned sideways.

Confused, Mokuba followed his eyes all the way down the long hallway, to where it ended in a set of large white doors, upon which could be read the dreaded word _'surgery'_.

"No..." Slipped from the child's mouth, "NO!"

He made to run to the doors, but someone caught hold of him quickly.

"No Mokuba!" Akio cried as he pulled his younger cousin back.

"Niisan! NIISAN!" The boy cried loudly, struggling against the grip binding him.

Yami swore his heart was shattering right there in his chest, but he struggled to hold the pieces together.

"Yami..."

He turned back at the quiet whisper. Yugi was cautiously reaching out towards his face.

"NO!" The taller boy gasped, his hands shooting out to stop Yugi, "please Aibou, don't...don't make me watch again...please..."

Yugi could only watch helplessly as his alter ego trembled before him, his quiet begs coming out in desperate shakes.

Not even for something concerning Marikku...had he been so reluctant to relive it.

"Yami...I'm here..." Yugi whispered, silently cursing himself as he gently touched his forehead to Yami's, and closed his eyes.

The shields around his dark half's memories had never been raised so high before, however, the bond they shared eventually coaxed the taller male into dropping them.

Yugi's body gradually began shaking along with Yami's as he saw everything Yami had experienced from the time they'd parted on the beach. The entire time he could feel his alter ego's terror rising as they steadily grew closer to the explanation for their presence at the hospital.

When they reached it, he could only hate himself for asking Yami to show him.

Breaking the mind link, he embraced Yami protectively, his own tears streaming down his face.

"Kaiba...he was in an accident...hit...hit by a car..." He barely managed to stutter out to his friends.

"Kaiba? No way...that just...doesn't seem possible..." Anzu whispered, shock creeping into her voice.

"Yami? Will you tell us what happened exactly?" Akio asked quietly.

The ruby eyed teen looked up to him, and then back to his friends.

"Akio's told us who he is Yami." Jou stepped forward to say, understanding the confused look, "He's the one who the hospital called. Mokuba was with us when he came to collect him, and Yugi began insisting that we needed to go as well, so he gave us a lift here."

"Everyone who couldn't fit came in my car." Mai added, her own voice lacking the usual strength.

"Thank you Akio. This is our first time in this town. We'd never have found the hospital without you." Shizuka spoke up as she came to stand by her brother.

"No problem...it is a bit out of the way..." Akio answered a little absently.

Yami could see he was distracted by his own fears and worries. Mokuba had turned around and was now seeking comfort from his cousin.

As if finally waking up from his state of shock, Yami felt a surge of guilt. He wasn't the only one this was affecting.

He wiped his eyes hard and gave a heavy sigh.

"Yami, what were you guys doing anyway?"

Both dark and light halves flinched a little at the question Malik presented.

"I mean, why were you out so late anyway?" Malik explained, thinking they just didn't understand.

"Neither you nor Kaiba are the type to break curfew." Ryou added.

Yami recalled saying something similar to Seto earlier.

How he now wished they hadn't done so.

Amethysts met rubies, as both asked whether they should answer the question or not. All their friends were now together before them, and there was little room for them to manoeuvre with their words.

Besides...everyone was worried...didn't they deserve the truth?  
_'Yami...I won't say anything if you don't want to...but...'_

_'I know Aibou...I know...it's just...'_

"Kaiba!"

Both heads shot up at the outburst, their eyes locking to the one who had stepped forward.

"Seto Kaiba is the one? All this time?" Anzu almost yelled, the shock in her eyes now caused by a mixture of reasons.

Yami felt it coming...

Yugi felt it coming...

Even Bakura, Ryou and Malik might have shifted slightly as they felt a pulse of dark energy in the air...

But none were fast enough to stop it breaching the well guarded walls of Yami's heart.

"AND SO WHAT IF HE IS!"

Yami was on his feet again, his rage burning like a fire storm that no one could hope to control.

"YES! SETO KAIBA IS THE ONE! THE ONE I LIKE! THE ONE I'VE BEEN SEEING! THE ONE YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE TO BE JEALOUS OF!" He bellowed, his words even louder as they echoed down the hall.

Yugi, Malik, Honda and Jou all leapt around Yami, trying to hold him back as he stormed towards Anzu, who was caught off guard by his outburst.

"I LIKE SETO KAIBA MORE THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE! AND I HAVE LIKED HIM FOR LONGER THAN EVEN I REALISED! AND I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT YOU OR ANYONE ELSE THINKS OF ME FOR IT!"

"Yami stop!" Yugi pleaded, holding him from in front, but failing to keep him back.

Isis pulled Anzu back, whilst Mai and Shizuka also stepped in front of her.

"IF YOU DARE BAD MOUTH HIM, I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU! I WILL...!" Yami continued to scream, breaking free of those holding him back, the sennen eye symbol glowing into life once more on his forehead.

"YAMI!"

Bakura jumped in between the rage filled pharaoh and the frightened girl, the sennen ring pulled free from under his shirt as his hand shot out in front of him.

A burst of shadow magic clashed with that which already flared within Yami's aura, and both boys were knocked backwards.

"Yami!" Yugi gasped, kneeling by his alter ego.

"Bakura?" Ryou spoke, crouching by the taller boy as he sat up.

Though also worried, his voice was a bit more questioning at the rash behaviour.

"It only winded him hikari...he's fine." Bakura muttered, grunting as he stood up.

I wasn't..." Ryou began, his patience thin in his voice, but Bakura had already stepped away.

Yami on the other hand, stayed where he was, his eyes shut tight. He wanted time to stop, to forget everything...his anger...his pain...he almost wished he could go back to that numb state he'd been in not five minutes ago.

"What's going on out here!" A nurse questioned, coming around the corner to see what all the noise was about, "Who are all you people?"

"I think it would be wise for us to go wait downstairs for awhile." Isis spoke up, still holding onto Anzu, though the way she turned the girl away to leave seemed too firm to be just meant to get her out of danger, as if she too disapproved of her childish outburst.

"I think I saw a twenty four hour cafeteria in the waiting room down there, a coffee might do all of us some good." Mai agreed, gently guiding Shizuka with her.

Rishid, Ryou, Honda and Otogi followed. Bakura watched as Yami finally opened his eyes once more, and when convinced he wasn't going to jump up and attack anyone, he turned and followed the others. Malik watched his best friend longingly, not sure what to say or do, but a reassuring hand on his shoulder from Jou eventually convinced him to go as well. Jonouchi looked back over his shoulder as he walked away, watching as Yugi helped Yami to sit up. His eyes drifted up to the surgery doors, before he looked away once more.

Yami found it hard to put much effort into getting back into his seat, leaving poor Yugi to do most of the work.

He felt a nasty wave of guilt again, though the anger was still too hot for him to want to see Anzu right now.

"Is it true Yami?"

He blinked, and looked up at the quiet question, his eyes meeting surprised grey ones.

"Are you and Niisan, really going out?" Mokuba asked, blinking a little as his tears made it hard to see.

Yami leant his head back for a second, before giving a silent sigh.

"I...wasn't sure if you knew or not." He eventually answered.

The raven haired boy gave a shake of his head.

"I just thought, Niisan finally had..." his voice dropped for a moment, "...finally had...a friend."

Yami's heart cringed, and he forced himself to meet Mokuba's gaze.

"My brother's never brought home anyone before...no girlfriends, or friends...he never invited anyone who wasn't a business partner. You two were already rivals at everything, so when you started coming over, I thought Seto had finally found someone he could just be himself around, someone he could actually talk to."

Yami stared to the ground, though a weak, sad smile managed to grow. Mokuba's words brought to mind just how much he and Seto had progressed from the time Seto first allowed Yami to come over for dinner...

That first date may not have gone all too well, but look where they were now...the time in the forest by the waterfall was like something from a romance novel, but without the mush and over worked sensual talk.

"I'm sorry...for not telling you." He said to Mokuba, offering an apologetic smile.

The boy just shook his head, returning the smile to show he wasn't offended.

The four remaining occupants of the hallway looked up at the sound of a door opening as a surgeon came out. Yami was on his feet so fast that Yugi had to catch him quickly to prevent him from stumbling.

"How's my brother?" Mokuba asked, the fear returning to his voice.

Though he appeared surprised by the new arrivals, the surgeon remained calm.

"He's stable, but hasn't yet regained consciousness. I must be blunt and say that compared to some of our victims that come in, he's pretty lucky..."

Yami could have slaughtered the doctor just for saying that if Yugi hadn't predicted his reaction and gripped his arm tightly.

"However, he has a number of serious injuries. His left arm, right ankle and three ribs are fractured, he has a nasty laceration across his head, as well as multiple abrasions and bruises over his body, particularly a rather large bruise by his eye. We've cleaned and wrapped most of his wounds. His leg is in a back strap, and his arm wrapped until we can put both in casts."

"When can we see him?" Yami whispered before he could stop himself.

He was terrified, but he had to see Seto.

"Young man, we're still attending to the last of his injuries, and once we're finished, he'll need to go straight to recovery." The man answered.

"Doctor? Please...the moment he's moved to recovery, could we be notified?" Akio spoke up, his voice surprisingly calm and adult like.

Yami had forgotten Akio was actually two years older than Seto, and perhaps more mature than he usually let on.

"We're all family, we just want to be able to see him as soon as we can." Akio added.

Yami was a bit surprised that the older boy went ahead and called him family, rather than Seto's boyfriend, but he was truly grateful none the less.

"Very well. Someone will let you know once he's moved to recovery." The doctor said after a moment of contemplation.

"Thank you sir." Akio responded, his arms still protectively around Mokuba.

"However, do you wish to call his parents and let them know?"

All four surprised the surgeon as they flinched.

"Our...our parents died when we were little..." Mokuba plucked up the courage to whisper.

"Oh, dear me...I apologise." The doctor said a little embarrassed as he bowed, "He shouldn't be in surgery too much longer."

He turned and walked back through the doors to the surgery ward, leaving the four remaining occupants in silence, and that's where they stayed for the wait that seemed eternal. They returned to sitting, but Yugi and Akio never once let go of Yami or Mokuba.

When finally footsteps broke the monotonous silence once more, they looked up to see a nurse approach. Her gaze immediately moved to Mokuba.

"Your brother is stable. We've moved him to recovery, but he'll probably sleep for some time. Perhaps you should go home and rest for awhile." She spoke with a kind smile.

"NO!" Mokuba protested, startling the poor lady.

"We'll be alright waiting downstairs." Akio quickly intervened, tightening his grip on the child, "Thank you for letting us know."

"V-very well, someone will let you know once he's awake." The nurse answered.

With another thank you, Akio led Mokuba away, but Yugi had a more difficult time convincing Yami to move. The boy's feet had planted themselves to the ground as the teen just stared at the surgery doors again, almost able to picture...and oh how he wished it would happen...that Seto would storm out through them at any moment, grumbling about people making a fuss over a few scrapes.

Yami's heart managed a fragile smile, but it faded away before it could reach his face.

Obediently, his body finally followed Yugi's guidance.

* * *

_His eyes felt heavy as he opened them._

_The room was very dark, with just a few pale shadows giving visibility._

_He'd been here before...this room..._

_Grunting as his body ached, he looked around from where he was laying, and sure enough, there was Seto, standing by the window as he admired some view only he could see._

_"Seto..." He whispered in relief._

_He already knew he was too weak to sit up, and instead raised his arm towards the male._

_Seto didn't appear to have heard him, but after a short time, he still turned around. Yami's smile vanished, his breath caught in his throat as he saw tears streaming down the brunette's face as the sapphire eyes stared straight back at him._

_"Seto?" He whispered, trying to push himself up._

_This wasn't the same..._

_He was in the hospital bed again...but despite his body aching and feeling heavy, he didn't feel any pain._

_So why did it seem he was a victim?_

_Seto's eyes closed then, his head bowing as if in defeat, before he seemed to spring backwards. His feet left the ground, his body arching forward as if he'd been punched straight in the stomach. His back smashed right into the window behind him._

_As the glass shattered though, it quickly began piecing itself back together in a new form, this time as a large crystal around Seto's body, as the male brought his legs up into his chest, his face disappearing behind his knees._

_"Seto no!" Yami cried, finally managing to wrench his body from the bed._

_However, as he did so, the walls, ceiling and floor all separated like pieces of a puzzle, before vanishing into a black void that consumed the whole room._

_Yami felt himself falling forward, but before he even had time to scream, he smashed into something colder and smoother than glass._

_It was cold...so very, very cold._

_The icy surface below his hands made him flinch and draw back his limbs. But as he looked to his palms, he gasped to find them covered in blood. In fact, blood was streaming in small trails all over his body, looking like some sick, badly done war paint._

_Now shaking, he slowly looked up to see what he'd hit. His body rested painfully against a large mountain of ice that stood solid and foreboding. However, within it's depths, he saw someone watching him, a face full of fear and confusion._

_And those eyes..._

_Following an urge he couldn't explain, he pressed his face closer to the ice, like trying to see the person better._

_But the moment he did so, the trapped figure closed it's eyes and opened it's mouth in a scream that couldn't penetrate the solid walls of it's cage._

_As a strange ringing echoed in his ears, Yami yelped as the icy wall suddenly expanded, shoving him away. He sat up, his body aching with pain, and watched as the icy field all around him grew._

_Large spears of ice rose like guards around the mountain of ice, and hid the figure from view._

_"No..." He heard himself whisper weakly, as he tried to crawl forward._

_But the ice upon the ground was jagged and sharp, almost like glass, and stabbed cruelly at his hands._

_"Why? Why is this...?" He stumbled out, looking to the glacier style cage once again, as the face of it's captive was the last thing to vanish from view._

_And he screamed..._

_...the name he knew so well coming out in a petrifying silence as his body fell backwards, what appeared to be white feathers blowing away around him._

_

* * *

_

The white table was cold on his cheek as Yami's eyes snapped open.

He took a few breaths to steady himself, before glancing around.

A plate of sandwiches sat in front of him, the same one Yugi had brought him before hand, insisting he ate something. He could see where he'd sunk his teeth into one, but dropped it before even eating any.

He sucked in a large amount of air as he sat up, wondering how long ago he'd fallen asleep. The hospital's cafeteria was still well lit, but the light had changed from the blinding, headache causing florescence lights above to the much softer, but still just as effective morning light of the sun.

Morning? So dawn was here to greet him...

"Hey..."

The all too familiar voice was like a soft caress, and he looked around to Yugi. The small boy gave a tired smile, a gentle but honest warmth like the dawn's first rays.

Lifting his head a bit further, he looked around the room. Jou was asleep on a couch not far away with Shizuka using his lap as a pillow. Ryou was half laying on the other end of the couch, whilst Malik sat against the arm, his head drooped as he slept. Turning just a bit, he found Bakura leaning against a wall, staring out one of the large windows, a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Where's everyone...?" Yami mumbled, his throat too dry for a longer sentence.

"Mai, Anzu, Isis and Rishid went back to let the teachers know what's happened..." Yugi answered, pushing a glass of water towards his alter ego, "...Don't worry, they'll only say as much as they have to."

Yami just stared at his dancing reflection in the water.

"...So they all understand now?" He finally whispered.

Yugi's head dropped, before he wrapped his arms around one of Yami's and rested his head upon his shoulder comfortingly.

"They don't really know anything other than the basic facts, and I've told them not to ask you anything...I didn't want them to bother you until you're ready."

"Arigato aibou...demo...demo..." Yami sighed heavily, "...they're my friends, and I think I've been dishonest with them long enough. They don't need to know everything that's happened between me and Seto, but they deserve to be told what's going on."

He looked around again to his Hikari.

"By the way...I know I owe you an apology...I'm sorry for worrying you aibou."

Yugi didn't look up at him, but Yami felt him tense.

"You're in for one serious punishment when we get home..."

The ruby eyed teen smiled lightly at the half hearted threat, made weak only by the lack of sleep.

"Has there been any news?"

"Not yet. Akio took Mokuba back upstairs to wait about two hours ago. Mokuba…is getting his brother's stubbornness..."

"Uh oh...we're all in trouble then..."

Both boys gave a single, dry laugh.

"Honda and Otogi are acting as runners. They'll come get us once Kaiba wakes up."

This time Yugi looked around at their remaining friends.

"I don't think anyone's surprised Malik didn't leave, but Jou also refused to go, so naturally Shizuka wanted to stay with her brother. I'm not sure why Bakura decided to stay, but..."

"To make sure I don't try to hurt anyone again."

Yugi fell silent as Yami gave the unexpected answer.

"...Anzu should have known better..." He eventually replied in his alter ego's defence, a surprising thing since he rarely said anything against Anzu.

"It was no excuse to turn on her the way I did." Yami cut in quickly, his anger at himself still smouldering slightly, "...Was she alright when she left?"

"A bit shaken and silent, but alright." Yugi sighed, and looked back to Bakura, "He's been standing in that spot for hours, and he never touched his coffee..."

"The aroma was probably enough to keep him awake. Somehow I can't see him actually drinking it..." Yami answered, and downed the water Yugi had given him.

He was thirsty, true, but the drink provided a quick distraction as his friend's coffee reminded him of sitting with Seto in the cafe, and learning just how the CEO liked his coffee...

...only just yesterday...he'd been fine...

"Ryou decided to stay as well, though at first he went back to the hotel with the others to get some of Kaiba's stuff as a favour to Akio, then he came back by a late taxi. Poor guy dozed off pretty much as soon as he sat down."

"Bakura didn't object?" Yami asked in surprise.

"Well you could see he wasn't happy about it...originally Mai was going to drive him back, but according to Ryou she was already exhausted, so he insisted she get some rest. However, I think Bakura held his tongue because he knew it wasn't a good time for the two of them to start arguing."

"He cares for his hikari far more than he feels he's able to let on..." Yami replied quietly, "...I think perhaps he wanted to show he trusts Ryou by not arguing about him making such last minute decisions. Ryou got here fine, so there was no need to get upset at him for it."

Both boys frowned as the faint sound of rushing feet could be heard, before the cafeteria doors slammed open, loud enough to even wake anyone sleeping.

"Yugi! Yami! Whoever!" Otogi panted as he and Honda hung onto the doors for support, looking like they'd just been running at full speed.

Shizuka and Ryou sat up rubbing their eyes, whilst Malik gave a loud yawn. Jou's head tilted around, and he looked like he might curse at the rude wake up.

"Kaiba's awake! They've moved him back to the ward, and said visitors are allowed...just two at a time cause he's still pretty weak...but still." Honda finished when Otogi continued to pant.

Yami wanted to shrink away as he felt everyone else automatically turn to him. Clearly none of them planned to move before him. Whether out of politeness, sympathy or uncertainty he didn't know.

"Yugi? Would you...?"

"Of course."

The two stood together, and quickly followed Honda & Otogi once they'd pulled themselves up properly. Yami's heart wasn't racing, but each beat felt like someone was striking a gong inside his chest, and the way Yugi's small hand lowered to grip his own worried him that even he could feel it.

They made their way upstairs, the walk a lot longer than Yami expected...but then he could hardly remember going down to the cafeteria in the first place. But having made the trip a few times already, his friends clearly knew the way, and soon they arrived at the ward.

Yami's heart gave a particularly hard thud as they stopped outside a room. He could already hear Mokuba's voice, and Akio's a few times. He listened eagerly for a third voice, but it must have been too quiet.

He peered into the room, and saw Akio standing at the end of a bed, but a curtain obscured his view of anyone or anything else. Luckily, Akio looked around at that point, and smiled warmly at him.

Man did he look shattered...had he slept at all?

Yami was beginning to feel guilty for falling asleep...

"Hey, you've got some other visitors. Mokuba, let's give them a moment, alright?"

A chair could be heard scrapping on the ground behind the curtain, before familiar grey eyes looked around the navy blue material. Once he'd seen who was waiting, Mokuba's face brightened.

"Ok, sure! We'll be right back Niisan!" He answered cheerfully, looking and sounding a hundred times better than just hours ago.

He gave a happy smile and a wave to the figure behind the curtain, before running out of the room. Before he went very far though, he suddenly turned and hugged Yami around the waist.

"He's ok Yami...he's ok..." The boy stumbled out, sounding ready to cry again.

Yami smiled, just glad to know any tears now were out of relief rather than fear.

A gentle touch on the shoulder by Akio was enough for the small boy to step back.

"Go on Yami." Akio said quietly with a warm smile.

He really did look exhausted.

Sucking in a large gulp of air, Yami turned back towards the door, but found it difficult to move, as fear appeared as an invisible enemy in front of him. Yugi was quick to pick up on this, and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. Yami managed to get himself to move, but prayed Yugi wouldn't take his hand away.

The short but slow walk into the room tried all too eagerly to send him running by bringing up memories that would do anything but help the situation.

The past life Pharaoh recalled the time Seto had passed out at school, and the initial, paranoid fear he'd had of seeing Seto laying there, in some sort of critical condition.

How was he suppose to calm down and reason with himself this time? Being told the CEO was stable and awake just didn't seem enough...

Reaching up to grip his necklace, he forced his body to steady and peered around the curtain.

It was hard to tell exactly how he felt the moment he saw the figure laying in bed, but as Sapphire eyes turned in his direction, he finally felt relief arrive. It had taken it's time, but it was here.

Seto's leg was raised, whilst his arm was strapped tightly in a sling against his chest. The doctor hadn't been kidding about the bruise by his eye, and a thick patch was upon his forehead.

And yet despite all that...no matter how bruised, battered or tired he appeared...the CEOs eyes shone with no less strength than usual.

Sensing his alter ego wouldn't back out any longer, Yugi smiled and let go of his arm, before quietly leaving them in peace.

Yami gave Seto an awkward smile, not entirely sure what to say, and instead sat on the seat by the bed.

"Would you rather I didn't ask how you're feeling?" He finally managed to mumble.

"If you'd be so kind." Seto grumbled, his gaze turning to the ceiling.

Yami managed a weak chuckle, glad to hear the familiar gruffness, before his joy slipped away too fast for him to stop it.

"Seto...what happened?"

"I got hit by a car, or did you by chance miss that?"

The sharp tone made Yami flinch a bit.

_'It's alright, don't take it personally. He's been in surgery...he's probably very sore and tired...and his pride must be hurting even more.' _He reasoned with himself gently.

"I know Seto...I meant before that..." He explained, trying not to remember the accident, "Why...did you run?"

There was no doubt in Yami's mind that Seto's reason must've been something he likely didn't want to discuss, but the ruby eyed teen needed to know.

They'd both consented to the kiss...had he unknowingly done something wrong by chance?

The way Seto's eyes narrowed sharply proved him right that it was a touchy topic, earning another flinch from Yami. Swallowing hard, he carefully reached a hand out.

"Seto? Please talk to me..." He whispered, placing his hand upon the much larger one of the brunette's.

But before his fingers could even enclose around it, the hand was wrenched from his grip. Yami could only sit there bewildered, but before he could say anything, the sharp movement from the CEO caused Seto to begin coughing loudly. With each cough, his face scrunched up in pain.

"Seto!" Yami gasped standing quickly, the chair falling over behind him.

The sapphires flashed open to glare coldly at him, stopping the concerned hand that had been reaching for him in it's tracks.

It was then Yami noticed something that made his heart feel like it had just been dumped in one of Yugi's icy water buckets.

For the first time in ages...at least that he could remember...Seto's necklace wasn't around his neck.

_'Calm down...calm down... the doctors would've had to take it off to take care of him...that's all...'_

"Where's your necklace?" He whispered, his heart shaking too much to consider the question inappropriate right now.

"Wouldn't have a clue."

Yami had barely taken note of the way he'd still been holding onto his necklace, but as the cold words struck his heart like a spear, his arm slowly dropped away, and he felt his feet automatically step back, an instinctive retreat from the uncaring tone.

"Seto? What's going on?" Akio called as Seto fell into another painful coughing fit.

He appeared back around the curtains, and was by the bed in seconds.

"Seto! Your ribs! Quick, where's the pillow?"

Mokuba came running back in at the fuss as Akio grabbed an extra pillow, and braced it around Seto's middle tightly as the CEO continued to cough. Yami felt useless as he stood there. Just last night he'd had one of the greatest times of his life...and now...

"Seto..."

As the coughing relented temporarily, Kaiba looked back up at him, the anger not familiar to Yami.

"By the way, I've changed my mind...Pharaoh."

The lack of care before had been painful...but this time...it was like a full out, intent to hurt punch had just been rammed into his chest.

Yami couldn't believe what he was hearing, his mind was going numb again, and he had no control over his feet as they continued to take him further and further away from the bed.

Akio looked between him and Seto in confusion, but didn't leave the bedside for the time. Yami felt his body turn as it continued of it's own free will towards the door.

Yugi and now the others waited for him outside, looking concerned by what they heard.

Yami walked out of the room, and turned to looked down the hallway...

...and then he ran.

Not even Yugi's cry of shock could stop him as he raced away from the room. He sped down the stairs, sparing not a thought for anyone else going either up or down. He didn't concentrate on where he was going, he only stopped when his body decided it was ready to.

He barged open the door of the bathroom, and collapsed by the sink.

"Se...Se..." He tried to whisper.

But as if Seto's decision was enough to control his voice, he just could no longer say the name. His arms raised and wrapped around his chest, a weak shield against the cold hand of rejection that still lingered upon his back.

* * *

_*whimpers*...ok, any Prideshipping fan...or any fan of Yami or Seto for that matter, will understand how much that hurt me to write! *cries* I'm sorry Yami!_

_I'm sorry, but this chapter sees the beginning of a lot of pain to come ( might be a bit too dark of a way to put it, but I can't completely promise what will happen in the future), but remember...I am NOT one for writing sad endings...lol...call me childish, but I like happy, fairytale endings :P...in other words, all the painful stuff has a reason behind it, and will be sorted out by the end._

_Ok, hope you enjoyed, and chapter 16 will be posted very soon, just have to finish the editing, and it'll be up! :D_

_Thanks for reading! (And sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes I missed)._

_Reviews are loved! *cuddles Yami and Seto plushies*_


	16. Chapter 16

_Oh thank Ra! (lol...sorry, used it too many times in Yugioh fanfics...^^')_

_I thought I wasn't going to get this updated! thankyou FFN for allowing me to edit...I'll have to figure out what's going on with my usual writing program...(hopefully, it's just the computer having a hissy fit tonight...*crosses fingers*)_

_anyway, here's the second half of the originally longer chapter...or more simply...chapter 16 :P_

_Hope you enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of it's characters._

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 16:**

"Ok, in the future, shale I just consider bathrooms to be your main hideout?"

Malik's words clearly weren't intended to be harsh, but perhaps he was just tired and worn out from looking for Yami around the hospital.

The teen in question didn't move from his curled up position by the sink. He hadn't moved from that spot for an hour and a half, though he himself of course was unaware of the time duration.

Malik just sighed when his best friend didn't reply, and instead, sat down beside him.

"Yami, I'm not gonna ask you to tell me everything. I'm not going to ask what's true and what's not, and I'm not going to accuse you of anything. All I want to know is why you're in here. You may have been nervous, but you were still all too eager to see Kaiba before. Why did you run the moment you left that room?"

The ruby eyes shifted a bit, but still the teen didn't answer.

"Did it upset you to see Kaiba like that?"

Still nothing...at least not verbally anyway. Malik frowned slightly as he noticed a glint of anger within his friend's eyes. It wasn't regular anger though...it was born from pain.

"Did Kaiba do or say something?"

Finally, some sort of reaction! Yami shifted, pulling his legs up even closer whilst his teeth gritted. Malik wasn't entirely sure how to respond, like all his friends, he knew of the rivalry Yami shared with Kaiba, and that he was probably the only one who could not simply deflect an attack from the CEO...but actually _reflect_ it back at him.

However, also like everyone else, he'd learned just hours ago that something else had been happening between the two top duellists, and looking at his friend, it seemed maybe Kaiba had finally found a way around Yami's strong shield.

"He...he's just..." Yami whispered suddenly, his throat dry, "He's just in a bad mood...that's all..."

Malik's eyes softened sadly. Perhaps he didn't know exactly what had happened, but he could hear the pain in his friend's voice. He felt his stomach start to boil in anger at Kaiba, but quickly cooled his head. His friends getting upset was probably the last thing Yami needed right now.

"Oh!"

Both teens looked around at the gasp that followed the door creaking open. Ryou peered in, looking a little guilty, as if he realised he'd interrupted a private conversation.

"Sorry...should I...?"

"It's alright Ryou." Yami assured him quietly.

The white haired teen cautiously walked in, the door swinging shut behind him.

"Brrr! was it that cold out there before?" Malik grumbled, rubbing his arms as a draft froze him.

Yami managed a weak smile in replacement for a laugh, though he too shivered at the cold air.

He looked up as Ryou offered a soft, sympathetic smile, before going to the sink to wash his face. No doubt he was still pretty tired like everyone else.

"Well, what do you say we get out of this bathroom? I don't know about you, but I recon the cafeteria was a much better hang out." Malik tried to joke as he stood up.

"I'm not going back." Yami stated firmly, causing the other two boys to look around at him.

"Yami...wouldn't it be better to find out what happened?" Malik tried to encourage him.

"Se...Kaiba...just needs to rest. When he has, _then _I'll go talk to him again."

The confident words fooled no one.

"Then at least come convince Yugi that you're alright, because none of us seem to be doing a very good job of it. I'll even take the pounding with ya if he tries to give you one."

Point to Malik. Yami grinned ever so slightly, and gave a weak nod.

"Alright. The over clean stench in here is burning my nose off anyway."

"Yami?"

The ruby eyed teen looked around to Ryou as he stood.

"Do you think I could have a word with you? Just for a moment?" Ryou asked, not looking away from the mirror.

"Ryou..." Malik began.

"It's not about Kaiba, I promise." The white haired teen added with a calm smile, though something in his tone seemed off, like the topic in mind still lacked in happy emotions.

"Go ahead Malik, we'll catch up." Yami assured him.

"Ok...meet you back at the cafeteria." Malik eventually answered, looking unsure as he left the bathroom.

"What's on your mind Ryou?" Yami said, turning back to his friend.

"I wanted to ask you..." Ryou began, pausing for a moment, "...Do you ever question his actions? Bakura I mean?"

Yami was definitely caught off guard by the question.

"Ryou, I think out of all of us, you'd be the one who'd understand best what goes on in Bakura's mind."

"Yes, but I mean, think back. He was originally our enemy, and used my body to his will...why did he suddenly change?"

Yami frowned heavily. Ryou had been more willing at the time...far more willing than anyone else...to forgive Bakura.

This was not the type of question he'd expect to hear from the puppy-eyed teen.

"Though I'm not saying it so much as excuses everything he did, Bakura had a hard past, we all know that. No one is born with a dark heart, not even if they are born a thief, and I believe he's proven that he wants to move on from the pain he both felt and caused. I think he truly regrets the way he treated you."

"Hm. Despite the fact that you were his prime target, you held hardly any hesitation about giving him a second chance. Is it because he's the one who came running to save you?"

Yami flinched and stepped back, his eyes alight with shock.

Why would Ryou bring up that topic!

* * *

_"Marikku, please...no more..."_

_"Don't tell me you're changing your mind? You said you wanted this!"_

_"I...I thought I did...but I just...ack! Stop it! I'm not...!"_

_"Not what? Not enjoying being with me?"_

_"I didn't say that! I just..."_

_"You promised me this!"_

_"Ah! I know! I know! I'm sorry! Just please, let me up..."_

_Yami tried pushing up against the heavy weight upon him, but he was miniscule against it._

_"You're just being a scaredy cat..." Marikku growled in annoyance, before a dark smirk crossed his face, "...don't worry little pharaoh, the first time is always kind of scary, just lay still and I'm sure I'll find what you like. EVERYONE has something they like in this game."_

_"You consider this a game?" Yami shouted back in utter offence._

_"All things in life are pharaoh, and from what I've heard, you're supposed to be the king of games. So why jittery? Unsure of the rules? Lie still and you'll come to understand how to play and enjoy this."_

_"I'm not a toy Marriku! Now get off of me!"_

_Yami shoved hard at the tanned chest hovering over him, but the much larger male seemed to lose patience as he frowned angrily, and grasped Yami's shoulders, shoving him back down hard._

_"I'm trying to let us both enjoy this, so stop acting pathetic!"_

_Yami yelped as he felt a knee press into his groin just a bit too hard._

_"Marriku! That hurt! Enough is enough!"_

_Silence choked him as his wrists were crushed in the grip of just one, rough hand, and held down above his head._

_"Fine. You want to be so serious about this? As you wish pharaoh."_

_Dread and horror clenched the teen as he felt the heavy body press right down on him._

_"Marriku...why are you doing this?"_

_"Because I like you..." Marikku whispered with a wicked grin that ultimately showed that this 'like' he spoke of was nothing more than lust._

_The desire burning in the violet eyes was freakish. Before him was no longer the male he'd grown to have a crush on, but a dominating, lust filled...monster._

_"No...Stop it! STOP IT!"_

_A loud bang deafened him momentarily, but even as the weight suddenly lifted, granting air back into his body, he didn't open his eyes, until he felt the aura of dark energy burst through the room. He looked up to see the bedroom door hanging open, still swinging by the force shown it. On the floor, he saw Bakura wrestling with Marriku, using shadow magic to force him to the ground._

_"MALIK!" The white haired teen had yelled urgently._

_Not a moment later, said teen came running in. His first instinct was to rush to Yami's side, but glancing around, he could only spare an apologetic look, before he leapt to the ground to help pin his alter ego._

_"Malik! What're you doing!" Marriku growled._

_"Protecting my friend!" Malik answered with just as much anger, though the tears streaming down his face were also from hurt, "And don't you dare call me a traitor! You're the one who said you were ready to change! You lied to me!"_

_As if someone had just lit a candle in a dark room, Yami felt a pulse of warm, pure energy, and looked to the doorway, just as Yugi came running in, the smaller boy moving immediately to his alter ego's side, no attention for the wrestling match still happening on the other side of the bed._

_The ruby eyed teen welcomed the embrace all too much, and held Yugi in return, trying to get past his own fear to comfort his hikari. _

_A loud growl brought their attention back to the floor, where Marriku had just thrown both Bakura and Malik off, and glared towards the bed as he stood. Yami felt a wave of terror as Yugi tried shielding him, and quickly pulled his Hikari away off the bed._

_His instinct to protect his aibou was far stronger than his instinct of fear._

_Before Marriku could even try to get around the bed, Bakura and Malik were on him again with a barrage of shadow magic, and just at that point, other familiar voices arrived in a loud, unified battle cry, as Honda and Otogi raced in and literally jumped upon the giant of a man, the force sending him to the ground._

_Standing against the wall with Yugi safe in his arms, Yami looked to the door where the rest of his friends were. Ryou gasped in terror as Bakura was knocked back by a returned force of dark energy, and moved to help him, but Jou held him back, the blonde gritting his teeth in rage, looking desperate to help out, but for some reason he stayed in the doorway._

_As Otogi, Honda and Malik held him down, whilst Bakura used his magic to help strengthen their hold, Marriku glared furiously up at Yami._

_'Fine, if this is how you're going to be about it Yami, then I'll wait, but know this, you shouldn't have resisted me!'_

_The words rang loud and sharp in the past life pharaoh's mind, before with a burst of energy that knocked everyone over, Marriku escaped his captive's grip, and raced towards Yami and Yugi. The boys immediately held onto each other, but the large male simply raised his arms in front of his face, and smashed through the window by them. Ruby eyes swiftly looked out through what was now just a gap in the wall, and felt a terrible shiver as Marriku smirked up at him in a way that all too clearly stated 'I'll be back', before disappearing into a cloud of shadows before he could hit the ground._

_A hand placed upon Yami's shaking form was too much to take, and he fell to the ground, covering his face to hide his tears. Never once had he been betrayed so bad...not like this..._

_He felt Yugi's comforting embrace cover him, moving only as someone else brought over a blanket to cover him, reminding him that he was still naked after all. Though he couldn't really have cared less right now...it was still a kind gesture._

_"Thankyou Bakura..." He heard Yugi whisper, and he forced himself to look around to where Bakura was still standing across the room._

_"I'm so sorry Yami..." Malik whimpered, falling to the teen's side, "I'm so sorry...I've been feeling something dark from him for awhile, but I...I had no idea he was planning to...please, I..."_

_Yami's hand...though still shaking...shot out to cover Malik's._

_"There's nothing to forgive...you did nothing wrong..." He whispered in return, before embracing both his hikari and his friend._

_"Bakura, how did you figure it out?" Malik asked then, looking back around to said male._

_As other eyes turned to him, Bakura only gritted his teeth, before swiftly walking from the room, pulling Ryou with him along the way._

_"Uhh...uh...Bakura?" Ryou tried to speak up._

_He stared back at his friends uncertainly, but didn't struggle as his alter ego led him away._

_

* * *

_

Malik paused just as he got down the hallway, his hand coming up to clutch his shirt, as a tremble shook him.

"What is this? Why does something...not feel...?" He whispered to himself, before his body followed his gaze, which returned to where the bathroom was back behind him.

* * *

"Ryou? What're you doing?" Yami questioned, stepping back as the teen moved towards him.

"Just how did Bakura even know you were in trouble? Especially when not even Malik had any idea? Did you ever wonder that?" The boy answered quietly, his tone and expression not like anything Yami had ever seen on him before.

"It doesn't matter how he knew! I'm simply grateful he did!" He growled.

"Would you _like_ to know?" Ryou whispered, a strange darkness within his voice.

He reached out with a calm confidence to take Yami's chin in his grip, causing the ruby eyed teen to shiver.

Why did this feel familiar...?

"Hey Yami? Ryou?"

Both looked around as Malik walked back in.

"Sorry, I just felt weird, so I wanted to check if everything was alright?" Malik apologised.

Yami took the chance to tear his chin out of Ryou's grip before it was questioned.

"Everything is fine Malik. What feels weird exactly?"

He turned to the Egyptian boy seriously. All who had a connection to a sennen item knew better than to dismiss a feeling of uneasiness.

"Well it's just..." Malik began.

Yami watched as his gaze shifted to Ryou behind him, probably just to be polite by including him in the conversation.

However, the sandy haired boy froze so hard he looked like a mannequin, or at least he did until fear brighter than a flame burst into life, making his body waver.

"Y-Y-Yami..."

The ruby eyed teen felt his own body tense in dread as he finally came to understand.

Shaking, he looked around to Ryou, whose eyes had darkened in a way that wasn't even a reflection of when Bakura had shared his body and taken control.

And that smirk which sat so comfortably on his face...

"No..."

Even more terrifying was the way Ryou's shadow looked like it had been replaced by a longer, fiercer one. Within the shadow where the face would have been, two menacing violet slits opened where the eyes would sit.

"Yami! Run!" Malik yelled, darting in front of his best friend.

"Malik no!" Yami protested.

"Just go!" The sandy haired boy ordered, raising his arms like a shield.

"Pitiful as ever..." Came an amused chuckle from Ryou, his eyes having dulled in a way they knew all too well.

A bright, golden sennen eye flashed into existence upon the white haired teen's forehead, before he charged towards Malik.

What happened next, Yami was sure he saw, but wasn't able to take in until it was over.

He heard the bathroom door slam open with the same emergency as the echo of a particular memory...there was a flash of white and gold by him...before he heard a loud thud and gasp.

Yami and Malik stared in shock as Bakura pinned Ryou against the wall with one arm, the other holding the sennen ring firmly against the smaller male's chest.

"What're you doing Bakura?" Came Ryou's sweet voice.

But where Yami and Malik might possibly have been fooled, Bakura wasn't.

"Get out!" He growled in a voice so deadly the two observers feared murder was about to occur before them.

With a nasty piercing sound that made them both squirm, the spikes of the sennen ring struck into Ryou's chest, making the boy cry out in pain.

"GET OUT!" Bakura repeated even louder, sending a burst of dark energy through the ring into the smaller body.

This time two shrieks rang out, both Ryou's, and that of the intruder within him. Yami almost screamed himself as the very image of Marriku appeared behind the possessed teen, a sign he was being forced out.

He fought back against Bakura, struggling to keep his possession of Ryou, but Bakura wouldn't relent, and sent another burst of dark energy into his hikari's body.

Marikku was indeed strong, but Ryou was Bakura's sennen partner. Even if they were separated now, no one could defeat the strength of that bond, not even if they were part of a different sennen partnership.

Giving a furious roar of defeat, Marriku very abruptly retreated, leaving Ryou's body to fall limp. The moment the dark presence drained away from the bathroom, Bakura pulled his alter ego close, his grip protective and his furious glare daring anyone else to try touching his hikari again.

Malik turned to Yami, sharing his terrified look, before embracing him.

Yami was quick to return his hold, knowing his friend was just as scared as he was.

Malik and everyone else might argue with him about it, but Yami knew the violet eyed boy was really the one who'd been hurt the most by Marriku's betrayal.

He glanced around as he heard Bakura grumble, and watched as he placed his palm upon Ryou's chest, using shadow magic to heal the small wounds left by the sennen ring.

That was a discovery they'd all made when they'd first separated. Bakura and Ryou could heal very minor wounds upon each other using shadow magic, and Yugi and Yami could do the same with each other. It was a very limited ability though, since they each could only heal their sennen partners, and larger injuries couldn't be fixed so easily (Yami remembered Yugi's countless attempts to heal his hand when he'd broken it, despite already knowing this condition).

"Thankyou Bakura." He eventually found the strength to say.

Bakura's gaze only narrowed more as he picked up Ryou's unconscious form, and carried him out of the bathroom, Malik and Yami quick to follow.

Neither dared to ask anything, as Bakura's aura seemed ready to turn ugly on anyone who even dared to break the silence. Even when a nurse walking in the other direction paused to ask if everything was alright, Malik just flashed a quick smile and said Ryou was just exhausted from lack of sleep, before practically galloping after his friends.

When they reached the cafeteria, Yami wasn't surprised to find Yugi waiting for him, and split away from the others as Bakura went to lay Ryou down on the couch, and Malik moved to go meet Isis, who had returned.

Words weren't needed for Yugi to understand, he only had to take in the way Yami and Malik were still shaking, and Ryou's unconscious form to slowly grasp what had happened.

"Yami? How did he...? I mean..."

"You said Ryou came back to the hospital on his own, right?" Yami whispered as he sat down, careful not to let his trembling send him crashing to the ground instead.

He didn't look around, not wanting to meet the startled look in Yugi's eyes as he caught on to what Yami was implying.

"Marikku must have somehow followed us here for the school trip, and waited for the chance to catch one of us alone."

_'Bakura's never going to leave Ryou alone now...this won't end well...'_

"If only Malik was the one carrying the sennen rod instead, I bet it would make things a whole lot easier." Yugi mumbled, a fraction of angry frustration slipping past his guard.

"No..." Yami could only whisper, shaking his head.

He waited until Yugi looked back around to continue.

"Losing possession of the sennen rod may have meant he wouldn't have been able to take control of Ryou, but it's an item that strengthens his shadow magic, not creates it."

He knew Yugi would understand what he was saying, but he continued anyway.

"Marikku wasn't born like Bakura and I. We're the spirits of an ancient pharaoh and thief, locked within a sennen item, awakened once we met our reincarnations. Marikku was born from the darkness in Malik's heart, he never existed before that. The sennen rod simply gave him form and allowed him to come out."

"So, you're saying..."

"Marikku doesn't need the sennen rod to use dark magic, even if losing it would weaken him, it still might not be enough..."

"Yami?"

They looked up at the apologetic voice. Malik gave them an innocent look, but neither were fooled, cringing internally as they knew he'd heard their conversation.

"Isis and the others are back, but I'm afraid they bought...well..." Malik said, looking away, before glancing over his shoulder.

They followed his indication to where Isis was standing, whilst right behind her stood...

"Oh no...kami no..." Yami breathed out heavily, holding his head in his palm at the sight of two of the teachers.

Yugi gave his arm a protective squeeze, his eyes narrowing a little as if angry the teachers would bother them right now. None the less, he gave his alter ego an encouraging pull.

_'Aibou...please...don't make me have to talk to them...'_

_'I'm right here with you Yami...I promise once this is all over, I'll make you honey and almond pancakes for breakfast for a week.'_

The offer won a very try hard smile, Yami was grateful, but no more excited about the lectures and explanations to come.

* * *

Speaking to the teachers had been just as horrible as Yami expected. He'd been able to come up with the story that he and Seto had snuck off to duel on Kaiba's land (it had been all too easy to convince them that Kaiba owned property out here). He'd been told earlier that the road where the accident had occurred was just on the outside of the boundaries, so the driver hadn't been in the wrong by being there, but rather than say Seto had run out onto the road, Yami moulded the story to instead say that the brunette had lost his balance and slipped down the small hill by the road that marked the end of his land. He hadn't been able to stop himself from stumbling out onto the road.

Thank goodness the teachers never suspected him of fibbing, he was willing to take the telling off that followed the explanation as long as they bought the story.

"Yami? You still with me?" Yugi asked when they were finally left along again.

"Barely...think I could have that first lot of pancakes right now?" The ruby eyed teen sighed heavily, leaning his head back as he sat down.

Yugi gave a brief smile, before looking around his partner.

"What's up Mokuba?"

Yami looked up as the raven haired boy approached.

"Hey Yugi, hey Yami. Niisan's woken up. He took a quick rest, but he's pretty much back to normal now...if you'd like to...?"

The gentle grey eyes met the sharp rubies hesitantly. They were all aware something had happened when Yami went to see the CEO earlier, though none had dared to speak about it.

Yami dropped his gaze to the floor, but after just few seconds, looked back up firmly.

"Yami?" Yugi whispered as his alter ego stood up.

"I'm going upstairs Yugi..." Yami whispered, before giving a reassuring smile, "I'll be alright."

Yugi gave a nod, even if it was clear he wanted to follow.

He was about to walk out the room, when Mokuba called him back.

"Hey Yami? What exactly happened earlier?"

It was not something the past life pharaoh wanted to think about. The utter rejection he'd received from Seto had been crushing.

However, he needed to understand what had happened, if he had done something wrong, then he wanted to know what it was.

_'You're not shoving me off so easily Kaiba, and I won't accept what you said to me without an explanation.'_

"That's what I intend to find out Mokuba." He answered, and made his way out the door.

It was a long walk, especially by himself, but he didn't allow his feet to falter or hesitate, not until he arrived at the door, and he only paused there because he could hear another voice in the room.

"Alright, is that all correct Seto?"

"It's fine."

Akio's voice was easy to recognise, whilst Kaiba sounded as gruff as ever. If it hadn't been for earlier, it probably would've made Yami smile.

"And if hear one word from you about whether I should be working or not..." Kaiba suddenly threatened.

"Don't worry..." Akio answered calmly in an understanding way, "...I feel the same about it as Mokuba, but I know a futile argument when I see it. Just try not to go wandering all over the hospital, ok?"

"I'll go where ever I want."

"Yeah, don't I know it. But seriously, don't do it just because I said not to."

Hearing Akio's footsteps drawing closer, Yami suddenly stepped back around a corner, staying still as he watched the red haired teen walk past, his thoughts too preoccupied to notice his friend.

Perhaps it was selfish, he wasn't sure, but Yami wanted to speak to Seto without anyone around.

When he was certain no one else he knew would appear, he slipped back around the corner. His heart hammered relentlessly, but he tried not to get irritated with it as he entered the room.

Seto was sitting up, his eyes focused on a laptop as one hand sped over the keys. Yami briefly remembered the time he'd gone to visit him at work, almost settling comfortably into the memory, before forcing his attention back to the present.

"Kaiba?"

Just like that time, the CEOs fingers came to a halt so quick that a smarter person probably would have taken that as a sign to evacuate the room.

"What do you want?"

Yami didn't let his body flinch at the harshness.

"To talk." He kept his voice calm.

"I'm busy." Kaiba grunted, turning back to the laptop.

"I can see that, but last I checked you were pretty good at multitasking." Yami countered quickly.

The sharp sapphires narrowed in annoyance, but his fingers that flashed over the keys only stopped for half a second.

"Seto..." Yami began.

The brunette turned to him sharply then, his eyes giving a firm warning.

"Kaiba..." Yami corrected, barely restraining himself from rolling his eyes, "I just want to know what happened?"

"Haven't we already had this conversation?" Kaiba retorted shortly, not looking away from his work.

"Whilst I would like to understand that as well, I was talking about earlier."

With that, Yami didn't speak again until his focused gaze got on Kaiba's nerve, and he shut the laptop.

"What do you want to know?" He grunted impatiently.

The question was for talking purpose only, the brunette knew exactly what Yami was getting at.

"I want to know why you spoke to me the way you did..." Yami explained, before adding,"...and why you're speaking to me the way you are now."

"I'm speaking to you the way I always do." Was the short answer.

"Hardly." Yami retorted bluntly.

Kaiba's words earlier had hurt, and now that the initial shock had past, he wanted answers.

"I want to know what I've done wrong Kaiba." He stated firmly, deciding to put it plain and simple in the hopes of limiting the CEOs ability to weave around the question.

He was surprised by the way the sapphires flashed open, but didn't have time to question it even in his head, before he received a furious glare. He was sure the CEO was about to yell and tell him to get out. Strangely though, he was silent, and just kept glaring at his rival, before finally breaking their little staring contest, and looking to the wall.

"Se...Kaiba?" Yami asked after almost a minute of silence.

"Get out."

And there it was. The shields were raised and rejection stood at guard. Had Yami jinxed himself?

"Kaiba I..."

"I said get out!"

Yami might have obeyed the warning if Kaiba had been descent enough to say it to his face, but the way he didn't even look around as he said it only infuriated Yami.

"Kaiba don't think you have the right to treat me like this without giving me a reason for it!"

"I've never acted any different towards you!"

Still he looked to the wall, not his rival.

"Lousy memory Mr. Kaiba Corp. president!" Yami shouted, before turning away, "You owe me an explanation Kaiba...let me know when you're ready to talk!"

The pain of leaving it at that would come later, once the furious anger wasn't burning away inside him.

He stormed out of the room, down the stairs, and rather than head for the cafeteria, he strode straight out the front doors. They were automatic, but he still almost walked straight into them as they were a little slow to open.

He didn't know his way around the area, but luckily there weren't all that many places he could get lost (though at that point, said fact only worked to annoy him).

He marched down the driveway, and turned right to walk alongside the road. After a few steps, he could see the rest of the town, it was quite some distance away, no doubt it would take a few hours by foot from here, but in such an angry fit he quickly made it his goal.

The straight and continuous road provided plenty of room to walk out his frustration.

* * *

_'You're dead pal!'_

_'Oops...'_

Yami didn't shift from where he was sitting upon a large rock by the road, his feet having eventually lost their will to walk.

He didn't try to avoid the furious push that Yugi gave him, the smaller boy exhausted from looking for his alter ego...again.

"I take it back! Now there's no pancakes for you!"

With that short outburst, Yugi sat on the rock, hunching over as he tried to regain his breath.

"Explanation?" He finally whispered when it returned, his voice soft but demanding.

Yami exhaled deeply, feeling the last of his own anger blow out.

"Kaiba's a jerk..." He muttered, the remark making Yugi look up, "...He refused to give me a reason for acting so cold...colder than even when we were just rivals...he...he didn't even have the respect to look at me..."

It was impossible to stop his memories from drifting over the past.

Bumping into Kaiba in the hallway...finding the necklaces he'd come to value so much in the shops, and the effort it took just to get Seto to accept the gift...the smile he'd captured at the carnival...working together with the CEO to stop the hacker's take over...their date at the restaurant, with the small talk about what they each liked in a meal...Seto holding the paper on his bleeding injury in the bathroom...being saved by the brunette in the water when the boat capsized...having conversations about coffee in the cafe...reading each other's poems...being allowed to follow Seto to Mokuba's birth place...listening to him sing, and figuring out his true favourite element...play fighting with him...learning about his family...

...kissing him...

"HE WAS OPENING UP TO ME!"

The cry burst from Yami's chest as tears overflowed from his eyes.

"He was opening up to me...why...?Why has he...shut me out!"

The pain forced him over, his body shaking and anything but steady. He wrapped his arms around himself, but it wasn't until Yugi embraced him that he felt any sort of protection.

Yugi rested his chin upon Yami's head, holding his alter ego tightly, praying that his own tears would hold on...at least for now.

* * *

"Will you be ok Akio? I'm sure the teachers would let you stay with Mokuba." Shizuka asked as Akio started his car up.

"I already checked, they said they wished they could, but it goes against the policies and all that for me to stay with the students or their guests. Though they did mention that if all the legal stuff can be sorted out, then it'll be alright." Akio answered with a regretful smile.

He looked down to Mokuba.

"I'm sorry kiddo...I'll come and pick you up first thing tomorrow and we'll go see Seto again, ok?" He apologised, reaching out the window to ruffle the boy's hair affectionately, "Just stay with your friends, right?"

"I will. I'll be ok with Yami and the others." Mokuba answered, sounding very tired as he momentarily held onto his cousin's hand, clearly seeking an ounce more comfort before he left.

"You make sure to get some rest, got it Akio?" Mai spoke up with concern.

The red head nodded, before looking to Yami. The ruby eyes were dull and lacking their usual spark.

"Take care Yami." He said quietly, before driving away from the hotel, quickly vanishing down the hill.

"Come on, we better get back inside. I have a feeling the teachers won't like any of us going anywhere right now." Otogi finally spoke up, and turned back to the hotel.

"Yeah, I don't think the hospital is within the area we're allowed to go. I'm surprised they didn't just go ahead and actually ground us to the hotel." Honda agreed, joining him.

"Just wait, it'll come." Jou commented, trailing behind.

The others were silent but followed one by one. Yugi paused at the door, and looked around.

"Yami?"

His alter ego stood staring back down the hill. He thought he could see the hospital from here…there was a little white dot in the distance that was perhaps the right building.

He bit his lower lip, hoping…no he didn't know exactly what for…but he hoped anyway, and turned to follow his hikari back inside.

No one left the hotel for the rest of the day, and no one was on their own for more than five minutes.

"You comfortable Mokuba?" Malik asked, peering over his bed to where the child was curled up under some blankets on the floor.

"Yeah, I'm alright. But, Rishid? Are you sure…?" Mokuba replied quietly, before looking up to the taller male on the bunk below Maliks.

"I'm perfectly comfortable, there's no need to worry." Rishid replied with a calm smile, content without his blanket.

"Bakura?" Mokuba continued, looking around to where the white haired teen was laying back upon a couple of rolled up t-shirts that replaced the pillow he'd lent the boy.

"It's fine." Bakura muttered, and rolled away to face the wall.

"He's just a bit tired…" Ryou whispered down to Mokuba before he got upset by Bakura's gruffness.

There was a few muttered goodnights around the room, before everyone settled down to sleep.

Even as one by one, they dropped off, Yami didn't even try to sleep.

He just didn't want to.

His mind was flickering back and forward between the Seto he'd seen at the waterfall, and the one laying in the hospital bed.

'_His shields are raised higher than I've ever seen them. Why won't he speak to me? I thought he was beginning to trust me to speak in private?'_

He suddenly became aware that he could hear quiet, muffled crying. Rolling back to face the room, he peered over the edge of the bed to the floor, and in the moonlight streaming through the window, he could see Mokuba's small shoulders shaking.

"Mokuba?"

The raven haired boy jumped and looked around, his eyes shining in the light.

"Yami…I'm sorry…" He mumbled, quickly wiping his eyes, "I didn't mean to wake you…"

Yami's heart throbbed at the apology, enraged that the boy would be apologising when he was the one affected most by all this.

Without another thought, Yami opened his arms out to the boy. Mokuba seemed surprised by the gesture, but his eyes almost instantly swelled up again, and he jumped into the embrace.

"Why is this happening? I know Niisan is alright…but…but why…?"

Yami glided his hand over the long black hair, trying to comfort him, not knowing what else to do.

"It's that damn driver's fault! If he'd been watching where he was going…!"

"No Mokuba…" Yami cut in quickly, even though there was a part of his heart that wanted to agree, "…The driver was the one who called the ambulance in the first place. He didn't panic and try to run away, he did everything a sensible person would've…"

'_Unlike myself…how could I just kneel on the road like that and do nothing!'_

"He saw your brother coming, and slowed down as much as he could…he just…he couldn't…stop. I'm loathed to admit it, but the doctor was right. He was very lucky…things could've been much worse if the driver hadn't at least had that time to slow down…if he'd not even had that time…"

He knew this would be doing the complete opposite of comforting the younger brother, but he had to respect that Mokuba was old enough to be learning the less sweet facts about life…he was still young, but not that much of a child. Besides, as horrible as it was, he couldn't be left in the dark about how close Seto had come to being killed.

'_So…this is what it's like to have an adult conversation with a child? Seto…how have you managed this your whole life?'_

As the small figure in his arms began to shake again, he held him close, and stared out the window, watching the moon. His mind floated back by its own will to the waterfall…

"This night of ice…

Freezes my heart.

Reminding me…

Not all is well."

The words slipped unintentionally from his lips, but he did nothing to stop them. As he sang, he could feel the young boy beginning to grow still, and he had to wonder if Mokuba knew the song was really about him…a gift from his brother to celebrate his birth. Yeah he knew that Seto was the one singing on the cassette…but had the child been told the meaning of the words?

The ruby eyes stayed locked to the moon, remembering the way they made the sapphire eyes he loved so much glow and sparkle, and how combined with the water droplets, it made the brunette's body shimmer, as the words had slipped so naturally from his lips.

"Brighter than the sun up high…

More than the stars in the sky.

No greater light have I seen…

Than that which I saw,

When you opened your eyes."

A pair of late tears crept down the teen's cheeks, and he buried his face in the raven hair.

* * *

The hospital was rather quiet, barely a sound to break its peaceful time of rest.

Had the staff not been enjoying said peace, they might have questioned the silence it brought with it more.

Security should've picked up upon the figure moving through the hospital, wrapped up in black clothing, the exact image of someone trying not to be seen.

Too involved in continuously changing conversations about family, neighbours and other random things, the nurses missed the dark figure slink onto the ward, and into one of the rooms.

The room catered for four patients, but currently only the bed at the end on the right was occupied. The curtain was drawn, but a glowing upon the wall showed that there was more than just a bed hidden from view.

The stranger slipped around the curtain, keeping it closed as he stood before the sleeping figure of Seto Kaiba.

The CEO was as still and silent as anyone else asleep. His laptop sat upon the small table that had been moved into his reach, glowing brightly in the dark room after being left on when the young male had drifted off in the middle of his work. It cast shadows upon the smooth, strong features of his face.

The intruder reached into a deep pocket of the jacket wrapped around his figure, pulling out a single, tiny item. A quiet sound broke the silence for just a few seconds, as the stranger fiddled with the small thing.

With a single step, the person closed the gap between his body and the bed. The pair of black gloved hands reached out to cautiously take hold of the CEOs chin, edging open his mouth as the other hand crushed what it held, before slipping it with care past the brunette's lips.

The CEO shifted in his sleep, making the figure step back. Kaiba's eyes didn't open, but his mouth twitched, as if in recognition of the flavour that was beginning to soak into his taste buds. Some part of his subconscious stirred, causing him to chew without waking up, or at least not enough that his brain registered it. None the less, the stranger didn't shift again until the CEO fell completely still once more.

The heavy booted feet stepped around the bed to the laptop, whilst one of the hands reached into the same pocket, pulled out a USB stick, and inserted it into the laptop. Quickly opening a file, he adjusted the volume, and clicked the play symbol that had appeared.

Too quiet for anyone outside of the room to hear, the sharp, ringing sound that echoed from the laptop was plenty loud enough for anyone close by.

Despite a very short pause, Kaiba's eyes suddenly began to twitch, and very abruptly, a scream of pain burst from his lungs, the sapphires shooting open.

Before he was given time to take in anything or alert anyone, the black gloved hands clamped over his mouth and eyes.

His one good hand reached up to grab the hand covering his eyes. He pulled it hard, and soon there was a muffled cry of pain as one finger gave a nasty crack.

However, before the young CEO had the chance to completely pull the hand away, consciousness was sucked away from him, and his body fell limp, as still as he'd been when asleep.

The figure stepped away from the bed, and listened for any sign that the short struggle had reached anyone's attention.

When no one came running, he grabbed the USB stick and erased any evidence on the laptop.

Without any other intention or hesitation, the figure shifted as silently out of the room as a shadow, leaving the hospital with as little notice as when he'd arrived.

* * *

_Youch! another emotionally hard one to write!_

_Lol, Malik can be so fun to write sometimes, as can Bakura actually._

_Anyway, please no one kill me! There is reason for Seto's behavour...promise! And as I said last chapter...there will be a happy ending...eventually XP_

_Hope you enjoyed, and again, sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes...not sure what was up with the computer tonight..._

_thanks for reading, reviews are loved! 3_


	17. Chapter 17

_Yippee! I do love finishing a chapter ^-^_

_omg, sing halleluah! I actually managed to keep this chapter below 15 pages long! XD_

_A few hitches a long the way, but this chapter wasn't too hard to write...I've been waiting to get to it for awhile now._

_Alright...I think that's all I have to say for now, so please enjoy! :)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of its characters, only any previously mentioned OCs and the plot for this story._

* * *

_Chapter 17:_

"To think I could be out there working on my tan, and instead I'm stuck in here." Mai stated indignantly as she stared out the window to the view of the beach.

Her words were more meant as a means of conversation than an actual complaint.

"Yeah, you'd think they could at least keep the buffet open if we have to stay in here." Malik agreed bordly as he slouched over the back of the lobby's lounge.

"Malik, you ate more than enough at breakfast. I should ask them the ban you from the buffet for the rest of the day." Isis scolded.

"You're not _that _cruel sis!" Malik argued.

"Malik, you do remember what happened the last time you said that to her?" Rishid spoke up calmly.

The sandy haired teen looked around and opened his mouth to retort, but then closed it and pouted away, staring at the ceiling.

To no one's surprise, the group of friends had wound up being confined to the hotel, banned from going outside except on excursions.

Today was a free day, and outside, the other students could be seen having fun at the beach.

"Mokuba, are you alright?" Shizuka asked the boy sitting next to her.

"I'm ok. I just thought Akio would've called by now." Mokuba answered, fiddling with the mobile in his hand.

"Yeah where is Akio? He said he was coming to pick Mokuba up first thing." Jou spoke up.

"Relax Joukun, he probably got held up. I'm sure he'll be along soon." Mai replied.

"Have Bakura, Yugi and Yami come downstairs yet? I haven't seen them since breakfast, and they couldn't have been in the dinning hall more than ten…fifteen minutes." Otogi asked.

"Bakura slipped out the front to study…I think…" Ryou answered.

"You think?"

"Well he was carrying a notebook, that's all I know." Ryou shrugged, "I've seen him with that thing a lot lately, but I don't know any of our classes he finds interesting enough to do more work on than he has to."

"Still, he should know better. We're not meant to go anywhere outside." Anzu said a bit worried.

"He's just sitting against the wall at the entrance. Besides, I don't think any of the teachers would try to tell him off for it." Ryou answered.

Anyone taking proper notice would have caught the tiny smile that flickered over his face, igniting his eyes playfully for just the briefest of moments.

"What about Yugi and Yami?" Jou continued.

"Last I checked they were having a duel back in our room." Malik said, resting his chin on his palm.

Jonouchi turned his attention to the stairs that led up to the room, his gaze serious.

* * *

"Yami, come on. That's the third time now."

The ruby eyed teen looked to the play mats on the floor, where Yugi had caught him off guard with a trap card…again.

"Sorry Yugi…"

The large amethysts closed as Yugi sighed at his alter ego's monotone voice.

"Why don't we try something else? I think I packed one or two other games with me…"

"Somehow I don't think my brain would be willing to work for any game right now. Gomenasai Aibou." Yami answered.

Both boys fell into silence, Yugi wishing he could do something to cheer up Yami, who in return wished he could at least pretend to be enjoying himself.

'_This field trip was __supposed to be fun. Why has everything gone wrong?'_

He thought back to the moment he'd chosen to follow Seto into the forest instead of going back to the hotel.

'_If I could give up that moment with him…would it fix things? Would I have had another chance to get to know him like that? Would he still look at me with that gaze he only shows me? Would…he continue to slowly let me in…rather than pushing me away?'_

Even if such a chance came, Yami doubted he could sacrifice that night with Seto.

There was a knock on the door, and Malik popped his head in.

"Hey…" He said with a smile, "Sorry to interrupt, I just came to grab something from my bag."

He strolled in quickly, and grinned as he pulled what appeared to be a large bag of sweets out from under the clothes in his bag.

"Don't tell Isis I've got these, or she'll flip…and then get Rishid to hide them…and then not even the cleaning staff will be able to find them!"

Malik looked partly horrified at his own thought, before grinning sheepishly as he stuffed a couple of lollies in his mouth.

"Oh? Is Rishid good at hiding things?" Yugi asked playfully, politely declining when he was offered to partake in the secret snack.

"Put it this way…if Rishid hides something, then break out the tissues, 'cause no one mentioned that was going to be the last time you ever saw it!"

He laughed lightly as he hid his little treasure once more, and went to leave. He paused though and looked around to Yami. Giving a sad smile, he leant down to place a light kiss to his friend's temple.

The ruby eyed teen could feel the sympathy in the kiss. It was nothing more than a friend trying to comfort a friend, and thus he felt no regret towards it, even if Seto's face instinctively came to mind.

"Has Akio picked up Mokuba yet?" Yugi asked.

"Actually, we haven't heard anything from him yet. I'm sure it's nothing serious, but Mokuba can't get in contact with him because reception around the hotel is pretty lousy." Malik replied, and left the room.

"Maybe we should go downstairs with the others Yami?" Yugi suggested.

"I'm not sure I could handle that right now…" Yami sighed, resting his face on his fist as he twirled one of his trap cards in his free hand.

"Yami, you know no one will say anything unless you want to talk about it…"

No sooner had the words left Yugi's mouth that the door opened again.

"Hey Jou…" Yugi greeted as the teen walked into view.

"Hey." Jonouchi greeted back as he walked in.

The seriousness of his tone instantly caught both Yugi and Yami's attention, silencing them as their friend sat on one of the bunk beds.

"Well I guess there's no point in me beating around the bush about it, so I'll get straight to the point. Yami, I know this is probably the last thing you want right now…but I need to talk to you about whatever's been going on…"

"J…Joukun…" Yugi began as he felt his alter ego tense.

"Trust me Yug…I'm not trying to pry. Whatever I ask or say, it's because I want to help." Jou cut in, before looking directly at Yami, "I'm sorry Yami, but I need you to trust me."

Yami's gaze had turned hard and defensive, but he stayed quiet, showing he would give Jonouchi a chance to speak.

"So listen, I've had a feeling something was happening between you and Kaiba for awhile…"

He paused as both amethysts and rubies widened in surprise.

"Oh come on! It's not like you didn't make it kinda obvious!" He said in exasperation, "The whole fuss between you two at the amusement park could easily be over looked…but then I noticed you beginning to act kind of different around him at school. You were suddenly curious as to why he didn't change in the same area as the rest of the guys when you'd never even taken notice of it before. Until the point where you went into competition mode, you couldn't stare at him during P.E for more than five seconds before looking away fast. I thought I was just imagining those things, but then came that day you kicked the ball into Kaiba's face. I mean you two always duke it out on the field, but that came out of nowhere, and you're hardly the type to make a move with no reason behind it." He explained, "Then you pretty much gave it away when I told you Kaiba was in the medical room. Doubt I've ever seen you move so fast…"

Yami's face flushed, before he realised something.

"That's why you came and told me in the first place! And it's why you were arguing with Se…Kaiba… the other day before we got on the coaches to come here!"

Jou gave a dry smirk, and flicked his nose with his thumb.

"Yeah, sorry about that, but I did have my reasons for it."

"Like what exactly?" Yami suddenly growled, standing up.

Needless to say, he wasn't enjoying this conversation.

"I'm getting there, but first I need you to tell me what happened." Jou continued.

"He doesn't know." Yugi quickly came to Yami's defence.

"What do you mean he doesn't know?"

"He means that I have no idea why Kaiba suddenly refuses to even look at me!" Yami growled, "One second everything's going great, and the next thing he's running away blindly and ends up on the road!"

Yugi stood and touched his alter ego's arm as he felt the memories hurting him.

"Just like that? Something else must have happened in there…" Jou persisted.

"Why does this even concern you Jonouchi?" Yami sighed heavily, holding his head in his hand.

The brown eyes watching him narrowed slightly.

"As I told Kaiba before we came here, it concerns me because you're my friend! And the only reason I'm asking about this is because I'm worried, otherwise I'd keep my big nose to my self."

Tempers were beginning to flare, but a moment of forced silence on both sides managed to cool them just enough to avoid shouting.

"Please Yami, trust me." Jou asked quietly, nothing but honesty shining in his eyes.

Yami forced out another heavy sigh, and unclenched his fists.

"Alright Jonouchi, I'll trust you." He replied, still clearly with his shields raised, but lowered just enough to cooperate.

"Thanks. Ok, so what _exactly _happened before Kaiba ran away?"

This time Yami felt his face heat up, the memory of the touch of Seto's lips made his own tingle lightly.

"We…kissed…" He mumbled awkwardly.

He noticed Jous eyes narrow again just the slightest, but in a thoughtful way, not like he disapproved.

"And you both enjoyed it?"

"JONOUCHI!" Yugi shouted in shock before he could stop himself.

"Calm down, I just meant were you both ok with it?" Jou quickly corrected.

"Of course we were!" Yami answered, also shocked, "You're not actually asking if one of us tried to force ourself on the other?"

"Actually…that's exactly what I'm asking." Jou replied bluntly.

Yami felt his defences rising again, but forced them down, trying to recon with himself that his friend was probably thinking back to Marriku if he dared ask such a question.

"No, we both consented to it." He answered in barely above a mumble, before his eyes softened sadly, "That's what I don't understand, I thought he was ok with it…"

"Hmmm…and…neither of you hurt the other?" Jou continued, "…just by accident I mean!" He quickly added when Yami glared up at him, "Didn't accidentally bite each other or the lip or anything?"

"The only thing that hurt me was that stupid rock or whatever it was I stood on!" Yami grumbled loudly, shaking his head as he sat back down on his own bunk.

"What rock?" Yugi asked in surprise.

The question sparked realisation in Yami's head, and he quickly pulled his boot off.

"I don't get it…" He muttered as he looked over the smooth, unblemished skin on the sole of his foot, "When we were kissing, I stepped on something sharp. It was probably a rock but it felt more like glass or a blade…why isn't there any mark?"

Seto racing away so abruptly had completely distracted him from the pain at the time, but when he thought back to it, whatever it been had surely penetrated his skin, it was so painful. But yet there wasn't any sign that it had bled, or even a scar hinting that it had actually happened.

"Wait wait! Pause and rewind!" Jou cut in, pretending to press buttons on an invisible TV remote, "You said this happened _'whilst' _you were kissing Kaiba?"

"Yes. I must have shifted my foot or something." Yami replied as he pulled his boot back on, though he could clearly remember being almost perfectly still at the time.

"So what did you do?"

The past life pharaoh just looked up in confusion.

"I mean what did you do when you felt that pain?"

"I ignored it and carried on in my own blissful world." Yami replied sarcastically, "It felt like a blade had been shoved in my foot, so I yelled and tried to grab it or at least step away from that spot…" A fond smile flickered into life for a mere second, "Kaiba's arms were very tight around me though, whatever happened, I know he didn't want to let me go…"

He remembered the look on Seto's face when he'd pulled back, as if something bad had just happened, but he just couldn't grasp what.

"Jonouchi?" Yugi's voice broke through his thoughts, and he looked up to see the taller boy standing.

Jou's brown eyes were locked fiercely to the doorway, his teeth gritted in anger.

"…this has got to stop…" He finally whispered, barely parting his teeth to talk.

"Jou?" Yami said hardly above a whisper.

It still must have been loud enough, as the brown eyes suddenly turned to him sharply.

The next thing he knew, Jonouchi had grabbed his wrist and pulled him from the bed.

"Jonouchi? What are you doing?" He gasped out.

Yugi quickly grabbed their scattered cards off the floor, and followed them out of the room as Jou dragged his alter ego along.

"Enough is enough already!" Jou growled, sounding like himself, but still not making a shred of sense to anyone else.

"Katsuya Jonouchi let me go right now!" Yami demanded, actually a bit worried about tripping as he was led down the stairs.

He blushed as his friends in the lobby below looked up to see what the commotion was about.

"Coming through!" Jou yelled as some cleaners jumped out of the way of his one man stampede, "YO! Where does a guy order a cab around here?"

Outside, Bakura shut his notebook hastily and looked around, staring a little bewildered as Jou dragged an objecting Yami out through the doors, Yugi trailing close behind, looking utterly lost about what to do.

"Hey Yami, pick up the pace a bit would ya?" Jou called without looking around.

"Maybe when you tell me where in Ra's name you're taking me!" Yami yelled, all patience gone from his voice.

He finally wrenched his hand free from his friend's grip, and almost squashed poor Yugi as he tumbled back into him.

The two sat up grumbling a bit, before looking up at the sound of tyres screeching.

What Yami recognised to be Akio's van had pulled up right in front of them. The driver door opened, and Kaiba's cousin flew out like a man on a mission, though he quickly stumbled to a stop as he found Yugi and Yami sitting right in his path.

"YAMI! Thank goodness! Where's Mokuba?" Akio blurted out in a rush, sounding like he'd been racing.

"He's just inside…" Jou answered when Yami's surprise didn't let him respond in time, "…what's up Akio? You see a ghost or something?"

"Please! Please go get him!" Akio panted, looking urgently to the blonde haired boy, "…something…something's happened at the hospital!"

* * *

'_My nightmare…my nightmare come true!'_

He could hear nothing but the raging thunder of his own heart booming in his ears, and no one could stop him as he raced through the building.

Everything around him was going in slow motion, like in a bad dream when one's body just wouldn't move fast enough.

He finally crashed into the room, startling all within it.

"SETO!"

Yami raced to the end of the room, pushing the curtain aside.

But the bed was void of any occupancy.

"Where is he?" He demanded from the first doctor his eyes came to rest on.

"Yami stop!" Akio yelled, catching up.

The taller boy quickly grabbed hold of his friend, pulling the struggling boy back.

"WHERE IS HE!" Yami repeated loudly.

"Yami calm down! He's been moved to a private room!" Akio answered firmly, not loosening his grip.

Common sense fought hard, barely managing to pull Yami back under control. He stopped fighting, though his body continued to shake. He looked up around the room, feeling guilt drop heavily into his stomach at the sight of startled or even frightened patients watching him. No one but Seto had been in this room yesterday, but if they had, would he still have been so blinded by panic not to have remembered?

He heard Akio apologise on his behalf, before his friend let him go and whispered for him to follow.

Yami's gaze was on the ground, but he slowly turned to leave, when a tiny glint on the floor by Seto's previous bed caught his attention. He leant down and picked up the tiny, shiny item, looking at it with an expression like he wasn't even sure why he'd bothered to pick it up.

He shoved it into his pocket absently as Akio called him again, and left the room.

He followed Akio to another room, though before he could even walk in, a cry of Seto's name from Mokuba stopped him in his tracks.

He couldn't do it…he couldn't convince himself to walk in there. Akio looked around, noticing his hesitation, and very carefully gripped his shoulder, pulling him forward.

Yami would've given anything to see Seto awake, and even grumpy. Instead his eyes were closed and his body still. At first glance he looked like he could've been sleeping, but there was something unnatural about it. Yami could see his chest still rising ever so faintly, but whilst he couldn't explain it, it felt as if the CEO just wasn't…there.

"What exactly happened?" Akio said to the doctor, sounding like whatever thread was holding onto his emotions was on the brink of snapping.

"We can't explain it sir, but I'm afraid he's fallen into a coma." The doctor spoke quietly.

Yami swore his heart stopped. Forget physics…it really stopped.

"But how? He was perfectly fine yesterday!" Mokuba shouted from where he sat by the bed, grasping one of Setos hands in both of his.

The doctor hesitated, glancing back to the doorway where Yami's friends had caught up.

Quickly getting the message, Isis, Rishid and Mai hurried the others away, Yugi and Yami looking helplessly to each other as the closing door separated them.

"It seems there was a security breach last night. One of our cameras showed we had an intruder…"

"WHAT! Why didn't anyone notice?" Mokuba shouted again, and Yami's heart clenched as he could hear Setos demanding tone within his brother's voice.

"Apparently the intruder got to the security guards first. They were found unconscious this morning, alive, but unconscious."

"But what did this person actually do?" Akio asked seriously, "Seto was perfectly stable yesterday."

"I'm afraid that's what we're trying to figure out right now." The doctor sighed, "Please follow me, there's something we need you to look at."

Yami heard the whole conversation, but his eyes didn't move from setos form. He reached out a shaking hand to touch the chestnut fringe, his movement hesitant from both fear of what had happened, and the memories of his last conversation with the CEO.

'_It can't end like this! I know he's not dead, but to possibly lose him after fighting with him? I can't…I just can't…!'_

"Yami?"

The hand on his shoulder made him jump, and he glanced around to see Akio. Giving a heavily shaky sigh, he once more allowed himself to be guided out of the room. Yugi attached himself to his alter ego's arm the moment he was within reach.

"I'm sorry, but I can only allow close family to come." The doctor apologised.

"They're close family. I assure you." Akio quickly replied, looking the doctor firmly in the eyes, and for half a second, Yami almost thought he could see Setos own firmness, as if it was Akio's personal variation of the same expression.

A moment of hesitation later, the doctor mumbled a quiet _'very well'_, and led them away, the rest of their friends left to watch helplessly.

* * *

"I warn you, you might not like what you see." The doctor cautioned as he opened the door to the security room.

Yami noticed Akio's grip on Mokuba tighten protectively, and reasoned that comforting his cousin was the only way the taller male was keeping himself under control.

Yugi was almost strangling his arm, but he hadn't the heart to say so.

A few policemen were scattered in the small room, and looked around as light filtered into the darkness.

"These people are Seto Kaiba's close family sir." The doctor advised.

"Very well." One of the officers replied, and dismissed the doctor, "What relation are you lot?"

"I'm his cousin Akio sir, and this is his little brother Mokuba." Akio answered.

"Cousin? Ah yes, the one the hospital contacted." The officer replied, before his gaze turned, "And you two?"

Yami opened his mouth to speak, but stumbled with his words.

"His…his…p-par…his rival sir."

It was as if not being allowed to say the CEO's name also took away his right to say they were together.

"He's Setos partner sir, Yami."

Yami looked up at Akio's strong words, and felt a pitiful desire to break down and cry that the boy…no…the young man…would defend him to such a degree.

Unsurprisingly, the officer's eyes widened a bit, but then relaxed back to a professional appearance as he looked to Yugi.

"I'm his brother, Yugi. Please let me stay with him sir."

The quiet but mature response from Yugi said all that needed to be said. Yami was struggling and needed the support.

The officer looked away grumbling a bit, before just shrugging and turning to the screens behind them.

"Just one camera caught the whole fuss. We need you lot to watch and tell us if any of it means anything to you."

"It's not straight forward sir?" Akio asked.

"Well, see for yourselves."

The four of them looked to the screen he was indicating to. For awhile all they saw was Setos sleeping figure, and Yami scolded his heart for trying to go soft at a moment like this!

Then he tensed as someone walked into view, a figure well hidden by a dark trench coat and hat. If Yugi hadn't still been holding tightly to him, he probably would've jumped at the screen.

He couldn't see what the person was doing as their back was to the camera, and their form hid Setos face from view.

The intruder then proceeded to move around the bed to where Setos laptop sat, which had been left on.

Yami was sure he saw Setos mouth twitching slightly, but turned his attention back when a strange sound alerted him.

He didn't see what the stranger had done on the laptop, but he began shaking as the ringing sound sent a painful jolt along his spine.

He could only watch in horror as Setos face contorted in pain, and the ruby eyed teen caught the very beginning of a scream, before the stranger muffled the sound that could've saved his victim.

Mokuba's own cry for his brother echoed around the tiny room, but still didn't reach Yami as he watched in terror. He was aware of nothing but Kaiba…gagged and blinded…fighting back. His hope dared to rise ever so slightly as there was a cringe inducing crack from the intruder's finger, before it fell into a bottomless pit when Setos form became still.

He was going to be sick…his guts truly wanted to throw themselves up out of his mouth.

"As you can see, this is pretty baffling. Do any of you have at least some sort of idea as to what happened?"

"Yami…that sound…" Mokuba whispered, turning to face him, "…was that the…?"

"Yes." Yami forced himself to answer, "It was the same sound we heard the last time that hacker attacked, the same one that had Kaiba and me on the ground in pain…"

"May I cut into this?" The officer spoke, firm though not rude, "I don't want to interrupt private business, but it's a con of my job. Just who's this hacker you're talking about?"

Mokuba and Yami shared the task of repeating the events of that night, which seemed so long ago now. Yami was having trouble believing that it actually hadn't been all that long since he'd started dating the CEO.

"I really can't explain it sir, the sound affected both Kaiba and me, but no one else."

The officer was taking down notes, and it was hard to tell if he believed the story or not.

"You said it caused you both immense pain, can you put a bit more detail into that?"

The ruby eyed teen sighed, taking a moment to think it over.

"This may sound ridiculous, but if I'm honest, it felt as if someone or something was trying to pull my mind right out of my head."

The officer paused to raise an eyebrow.

"I understand it sounds unbelievable, but that's really how it felt, I don't know how else to put it. The screeching sound rang painfully loud in my head, and made it difficult to focus…"

"Focus on what?"

"…On fighting to keep myself from blacking out! I was certain that if I let my focus slip even the slightest that I'd loose against whatever it was." Yami grumbled defensively.

Yugi gave his hand a comforting squeeze, seeming unsure of what else he could do.

The officer stared the boy down, his eyes showing that his mind was calculating pretty heavily.

"I can't deny that your story is quite far fetched…however…going by what the camera filmed, it would be foolish for me to dismiss it just yet."

"We have cameras in all the lab areas, I'm sure Niisan would've kept any footage of that time, if it would help at all?" Mokuba spoke up.

The time it had taken to explain it had calmed him down…at least for now…

The officer considered that for a moment, nodding his head a bit, though he didn't say anything.

"SIR!" Someone yelled, slamming the room door open, "We have a suspect fitting the description!"

"Where?"

"We found him about two kilometres from here, passed out in the dry grass by the road. Someone driving past alerted us. He doesn't seem to have any injuries besides a broken finger, so he's being taken straight to the station."

"Then let's return there." The main officer ordered, before looking to the small group in the room, "I want you four to come along, someone escort them to the station. The rest of you stay here, and make sure this doesn't get out. The press would be like children in a fun fair with free rides if they found out the worlds youngest CEO was attacked…"

* * *

"This way please."

The four nervous males walked into the room they were led to.

Yami couldn't get the look his friends had given him out of his head. They'd been something between shocked and confused, though he couldn't exactly blame them since they'd been escorted out by the police.

'_This is going to go down just fantastic with the teachers…' _He spoke privately to Yugi.

'_I don't even want to think about it.' _Yugi answered.

"Alright, we'll take you through one at a time." The officer said, "We just need you to see the witness and tell us if it's anyone you know." He added seeing the uncertainty from them.

"Go ahead Mokuba, I'll be right behind you." Akio encouraged his cousin, squeezing his shoulders gently.

"It's cool Akio, I'll be fine." Mokuba assured him, and pulled out of his grip.

The remaining three waited until they'd entered another room, before grinning widely at each other.

"Hey, do I need glasses? Or did anyone else just see a mini Seto go past?" Akio joked.

Yami and Yugi both suppressed a laugh, and Yami was grateful that the joke helped to calm his nerves just a bit.

They only had to wait about two minutes, before the officer appeared again, and asked for the next person.

"Where's Mokuba?" Akio asked as he took his turn.

"He's waiting back here." The officer answered shortly, before closing the door.

Hikari and Yami waited in silence, barely even shifting until the door opened again.

"Will you be alright Yugi?" Yami asked, turning towards him.

"Don't worry, I'll be along in a minute." Yugi answered with a smile.

Yami didn't like being separated from Yugi, but reminded himself that he wasn't far away, and just followed the officer into the room.

"Alright, now I want you to look through this window at the person inside. Don't worry, he can't see you."

Yami nodded slightly at the instructions, and peered in through the glass that he supposed was double sided. He was caught off guard as he saw a middle aged man looking very weary and confused, but something was clicking in his brain. His eyes narrowed as he let his mind work it out.

"Ah! That's…"

"Do you know him?" The officer asked seriously, his eyes watching Yami very carefully.

"That's Kaiba's butler. I don't really know him, but I've seen him a few times." Yami answered, still a little bewildered.

"Do you know of any reason he might try to bring harm to Mr. Kaiba?" The officer continued, not flinching.

"No. He always seemed perfectly loyal and calm." Yami answered, finally looking around at him, "I mean…I know Kaiba is a stern and merciless boss, but I never saw him give that man a hard time."

The officer stared him down for a few seconds, before looking over his head. Yami followed his gaze, and jumped slightly as he saw someone standing in the shadows close by.

"He's clear." The other officer said simply.

Yami tried not to frown. He caught on quickly this time. Whoever the guy was, he'd been watching to see Yami's reactions and body language.

'_A walking talking lie detector…' _He thought sarcastically, knowing it was childish but let it go.

"Alright, that will do for now. Please go out that door."

Giving a faint sigh, the past life pharaoh did as he was told, and walked out through yet another door. Akio and Mokuba were waiting out there, Mokuba looking shocked and on the verge of anger, whilst Akio just looked confused.

"Yami, this can't be right." Mokuba spoke once the door was closed, "I never would've suspected Frank. Sure it's not the first time one of the employees has tried to hurt my brother…"

"But it's as you said Mokuba…" Akio interrupted, standing up, "Something doesn't add up. I didn't see Frank around a whole lot even when I was living at the mansion, but the few times I did talk to him, he seemed honestly and genuinely happy to be serving you and Seto."

"Perhaps that just gives even more reason to suspect him?" Yami mumbled, making the other two look around, "You don't think he was perhaps just putting on some spectacular act do you?"

There was no sarcasm to his words. He really wasn't sure.

"I guess it has to be considered, though I really don't think it's possible." Akio admitted.

The door opened then, and Yugi joined them.

"You were the quickest out of all of us." Mokuba greeted.

"Can you blame me? I have no idea who that guy is!" Yugi answered, sitting next to Yami.

"He's Kaiba's butler." His dark half informed him.

"His butler?" Yugi repeated, frowning as he looked away, "…why is it always the butler?"

The other three looked up at the random comment, before all four found themselves laughing despite the tense atmosphere.

"I suppose we have to wait now." Akio groaned as the laughter died down.

"Waiting…" Yami mumbled, his eyes narrowing in anger, "…why does it seem like we're not doing much else lately?"

* * *

It seemed hours before the interviews were over and they were allowed to leave. Yami wasn't sure if any progress had even been made.

"My head hurts after all that. What evidence do they have to prove him guilty anyway?" Yugi asked, though he already knew.

"He was wearing the same clothes, they proved that by fabric particles they found on the bed. He also had a broken finger, the same one that we saw Seto snap in the video. Apparently he keeps saying he doesn't know what he's doing here, but he was found not far from the hospital. It's not boding well for Frank right now." Akio answered vaguely.

"But what IS he doing here? Seto trusts him to take care of a lot of things at home whenever he goes away even for a short time." Mokuba spoke up.

"Yami?" Yugi mumbled to his quiet alter ego.

"I'll be fine Aibou." Yami mumbled back.

He was trying to piece together everything in his head, but so far no luck.

'_That sound was definitely the same one the hacker used on Se…*sigh*…on Kaiba and me, and Kaiba was in the same pain as he was that night. But why didn't it affect me this time? Did I need to be in that room and hear it directly?'_

His mind kept flickering between that night and what he'd seen on the camera earlier, but still the connection eluded him.

Why…why just him and Seto…?

"Please! I swear…I would never…!"

The four looked around. A pair of policemen were escorting the butler away. The man wasn't resisting, but looked understandably frantic.

Still weary, he wound up tripping over his own feet, stumbling as the men almost literally carried him away.

Yami frowned, still finding it difficult to consider the man guilty, no matter the proof.

He turned to walk away, when something caught his eye. His frown growing, he moved forward and crouched to pick it up.

"What is it Yami?" Akio asked.

"Is that a candy?" Yugi added, peering around his alter ego when no answer was given.

"Chocolate." Mokuba corrected, rolling his eyes at the golden wrapped treat, "I'm not surprised Frank would have those on him. I think one of Niisan's fans conned onto the fact he likes caramel. He gets sent chocolates all the time, but those are the only kind he keeps."

"And you'd know that because you get the rest." Akio teased.

Not hearing the little discussion, Yami's mind had gone blank for a moment, before his eyes slowly widened almost bigger than Yugi's.

The others looked around as the sweet slipped from his palm, whilst his other hand slowly rose up to slip into his pocket.

'_Still there…'_

"Yami? Are you alright?" Akio inquired.

At his words, Yami's hand shot out to grab the taller male's arm, his voice answering in barely a whisper;

"Akio…we have to return to Domino City…WITH Kaiba!"

* * *

His head was pounding, and though he preferred the thought of keeping his eyes closed, he let them slide open.

The sharp sapphires glared around the place, which unless obscured by bad lighting or some logical answer like that, was nothing more than a black void.

'_Great…just what I'm not in the mood for…weird dreams.'_

He caught a light coming from his other side, and peered around. He winced as it was brighter than expected, thanks to the many computer screens he saw flickering between images he couldn't see from where he was laying.

'_Time to end this before the madness really begins.' _He thought and sat up.

He gasped out of surprise when both his hands were pulled back. He stared down, glaring furiously when he found them chained to a metal board which he now realised he was laying on.

He tried lifting his legs, but they hardly got off the board before the chains upon them were stretched to their limit.

"So you're awake are you?"

His head shot up at the amused voice that came from the tall chair that sat in front of the screens.

"Where the hell am I?" Kaiba demanded.

"Still so impatient Seto…" The person chuckled.

The CEOs eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You're the one…" He growled, recognising the taunt, "…you're that pathetic hacker!"

"Now now Seto, if I'm so pathetic then what does it say about the quality of Kaiba corps security, which you personally designed?" The person continued calmly, standing up slowly, "Please. I'll give that most who try to infiltrate Kaiba corps files are pathetic for thinking they stand a chance. I however, am not amongst them."

The hacker moved around the chair and walked closer to where the CEO was, just until he came into view.

Before Seto stood a young man around his own age and height, with short, two tone aqua hair, and sharp, sadistic blue eyes. The brunette was silenced for a moment, before speaking again.

"I don't care what level you consider yourself at! What the hell do you think your getting at by hacking my business?"

"As I said the last time we met Seto, I've simply been interested in checking up on how Kaiba corp. is doing." The male answered.

He continued slowly towards the metal table, his smirk showing amusement at his captive's expression.

"Look at you, it's almost adorable…" He chuckled, "…I know what you're thinking Seto. You don't want to admit it, but you're certain you know me, you just don't know where from. You think you're just imagining things don't you?"

The male laughed shortly.

"The answer's right there on the tip of your tongue Seto, so why don't we bring it forward?" He spoke darkly, "I do much prefer this newer form, but I suppose I can spare a few moments for the one you may find more familiar."

The second the cold sentence finished, the male's body began to glow, before it suddenly fragmented and dissolved just like something on a video game. When he had shrunk to less than half the original size, the glowing stopped, and in place of the male stood a young, child like replica...surely no older than Mokuba.

The gasp that left Setos mouth disappeared into the surrounding darkness, as recognition sparked over his features.

"YOU?"

* * *

_Aaaaannd done!_

_How was that for the shortest chapter in some time? XD_

_Anyway, I hope all the security and police stuff was fine...that was hard to do._

_I'm sure it's obvious now, but any last guesses about the hackers identity, make them now...cause the name is mentioned straight away next chapter! :P_

_Thanks for reading, hope it was alright._

_Reviews are loved!_


	18. Chapter 18

_*whilst banging head on wall*...can...I...stop...doing...this...now?_

_Man did that chapter give me hell! _

_Well, at least one element is explained in this chapter, I hope it turns out alright._

_Hmmm...nope...don't think I have anything else to yap about right now, so please enjoy! :)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of it's characters, only any previously mentioned OCs and the plotline for this fanfic._

* * *

**Chapter 18:**

"Finally…"

Ruby eyes looked up at the exhausted remark.

Akio dragged his feet as he returned to the hallway and sat down, slouching over his knees.

"Well?"

The red head slowly raised his eyes to meet the anxious tone.

"It's done Yami." He answered with a heavy sigh, "Seto will be transferred to the hospital in Domino City in two days, when the school trip ends."

He rubbed his temples lightly.

"Now I remember why I didn't want a desk job, too much paper work and discussion. A lot of the doctors didn't want to move him since no one knows what happened, but since his injuries aren't bad enough to make travel unsafe, they eventually had to agree."

Yami stood from where he'd been waiting for around two hours, wincing a little as his body was stiff from the extended sitting.

"Thank you Akio."

The young man looked around to him with tired eyes.

"Yami, don't think I don't trust you or anything, but how certain are you about this hunch of yours?"

Yami dropped his gaze.

"Not very…" He whispered hesitantly, reaching into his pocket, "However, I feel that the clue to all of this lies back at Kaiba's mansion."

He looked to the items in his hand; one the piece of chocolate Frank had dropped at the police station, the other a matching piece of golden wrapping he'd picked up off the floor by Kaiba's previous bed in the hospital.

* * *

"NOAH?"

"Indeed Seto, though I really am surprised you didn't figure it out sooner." The boy answered smugly.

In a sudden burst of anger, Kaiba tried to yank himself off the metal board, but the chains only creaked, showing no signs of weakening.

Noah just shook his head and tutted.

"Where the hell is this place?" Seto demanded once he stopped fighting the metal binds.

"You don't recognise it?" Noah mocked, snapping his fingers loudly.

The black void dissolved much the same way Noah himself had into another form. The computer screens and metal board remained as the two males found themselves within a jungle landscape.

"This is…" Seto gasped quietly, his chains going slack as his attention was distracted.

"Understand now Seto?" Noah continued, snapping his fingers again.

This time the scenery became that of the ocean.

The CEO's eyes narrowed, but he waited until the black void returned before looking to his kidnapper.

"Pray tell how I got here? I don't recall being in the vicinity of any virtual reality machines." He spoke sarcastically.

"None you know of." Noah corrected, his smirk growing.

Setos fists clenched as he watched the aqua haired boy raise his hand.

"I must give you credit for this Seto, after all, without the plans for your virtual reality machines, I wouldn't have been able to make this."

Within his palm, a small, golden item digitised.

He watched in amusement as Seto only looked confused.

* * *

"The night the hacker attacked, Kaiba and I each ate a chocolate just like this one…" Yami explained as they made their way down the hall, "Frank had just brought in a whole bunch of chocolate gifts, but Seto only accepted these caramel ones."

"You think it might be what Mokuba said? That someone figured out Seto likes caramel?" Akio spoke in a hushed voice.

The tri coloured haired teen just nodded.

"I suppose it's possible, but still, what good would that do someone who wanted to hurt Seto? It couldn't have been poisoned; the toxicology reports came back clear, just like all the others."

Yami stopped as they'd returned to the cafeteria, his eyes still on the chocolate as he carefully unwrapped it at one side, just enough so he could recognise the design of the sweet.

"I don't know, but this is definitely the same chocolate, and I found this wrapper by the bed where Kaiba was attacked. When we were watching the video, I was certain I saw his mouth moving, as if he was chewing something. I thought I was just imagining it, but these wrappers match."

His fist clenched, careful not to crush the evidence.

"The thought that nags at me the most though, is that Seto and I were the only ones to eat the chocolate, and we were the only ones that the hacker attacked."

* * *

"I'd imagine you're familiar with nano technology, right Seto?"

"Of course I am." The CEO snapped, "What of it?"

Noah, still smirking, turned back to move towards the computer screens.

"Your virtual reality program was very impressive, but unreliable in the respect that I couldn't guarantee you'd actually get inside one of the pods, especially after the last time we met here."

"Speaking of which, just how did _you _get back here? Last I checked you went under with that filth Gozaburo."

Noah visibly stiffened at the mention of his father, though he relaxed a moment later.

"Ever heard of a back up file Seto?" He answered without looking around, "I'd previously downloaded my mind to another file, which automatically activated when the original copy was destroyed."

As the boy turned back around, his body glowed again, and he grew once more into the teenage version of himself.

"I've obviously made some adjustments since then, but since you and I are technically the same age, I thought it was quite fitting." He spoke in a deeper voice.

"You're still the same spoiled brat that tried to take my brother from me!" Seto growled, his chains still groaning.

Noah just gave a dry smirk and looked back to the computers.

"Back to the topic at hand, I used nano technology combined with your program in order to bring you here."

The chocolate within his palm rose up and slowly circled in the air, as its image flashed into life on the screens.

"I didn't need you to be at Kaiba corp. in one of the pods, all I needed was a way to get your mind here…"

He paused as the chocolate in his hand, as well as on the screen changed, first the golden wrapping disappeared, then the chocolate itself vanished. Noah didn't appear to be holding anything in his open palm anymore, but the screen focused in on something small…what appeared to be a tiny metal sphere with blunt spikes sticking out of it, and a round, purple piece of glass on one side.

"…hence, I created a nano sized portal that works exactly like one of the pods. The sound you heard from the computer was the sound of the passage into this world being opened. When the portal is within your body, it reacts to the sound, and opens the passage on your side, delivering your mind right here."

He closed his eyes as his hand clenched, the nano technology on the screen shattering like glass.

"It's a marvellous piece of work, but since it's so small, the force of transferring your mind prevents it from being used more than once. It can go either direction, but only perform one transfer."

"I get what you're saying smart ass. I already figured getting back wouldn't be as simple." Kaiba spat, before his eyes narrowed dangerously, "But tell me this…are you saying you contaminated what I ate?"

"Well, it's not as if the nano portals are any sort of drug or toxin, but for the purpose of talk I guess we can say I did." Noah shrugged.

He held his face in his hand as he chuckled darkly.

"Forgive me Seto, it's just I can't help but find it so amusing that I found the way to you via a tiny little weakness you didn't count on."

The male finally let go of his laughter, throwing his head back as the sound echoed around the place.

He failed to notice the way Setos body began to shake, or how his nails, as trimmed as they were, managed to dig into his palms enough to draw blood.

It wasn't until there was a loud clank that Noah fell silent, his eyes widening as Seto was sitting up, his muscles tense and unusually bulged.

The rage in the sapphire eyes was terrifying. The chains strained loudly under the force shown against them.

Noah remained stone still, his face revealing that he hadn't foreseen such a show of strength. An especially loud groan from one of the chains signalled it was time for him to move back, just before it gave out and snapped.

Before Seto could free another limb though, Noah acted quickly, and slammed his hand down on a large button on his chair.

Chains slithered out from beneath the bench, moving by their own free will, and lashed out at Kaiba. He caught hold of one in his free hand, but the second one struck him across the face. The rest got to work snaking their way over his body, one by one pinning him down at the elbows, knees, and criss-cross over his torso.

Seto didn't stop resisting until the last one wrapped around his neck, just tight enough to make it clear he'd only tire himself out.

"I'm going to assume I hit a nerve there…" Noah commented, though his voice was void of amusement as he dared to step forward just a bit, "…you chose accurately when you picked Blue Eyes White Dragon as your signature card."

The chain upon Setos free wrist suddenly sprang to life like the others had, and reattached itself to the board, just as strong and tight as before, as if it had never broken.

"Coward…" Seto choked out, the fury still glowing brightly in his eyes, even if he couldn't move an inch.

"Hardly Seto. The fact is that I didn't bring you here to fight." Noah replied bluntly, and returned to his seat.

"Then why the hell did you?" Seto shouted, his voice final.

Noah looked around from the screens, and his smirk returned, a childish show of confidence at knowing he was back in control.

"Simple Seto…" He answered, his eyes remaining on the CEO, "…because I wanted to."

* * *

Waiting two whole days was excruciating. No one but Akio, Mokuba and Yami went to the hospital in that time in order to avoid more trouble with the teachers. Yami knew they were only doing their job, but he just wanted them to get out of the way about it.

The fact that the school was finally returning to Domino City on the same day was both good and bad news. They wouldn't have to figure out some way to sneak back, but Yami…no matter his pleading…was forbidden to travel with Akio and Mokuba.

Yugi did his best to comfort his alter ego on the long trip back, but there was no distracting the angry teen from his glaring contest with his reflection in the bus window.

After the tiring six hour ride, Yami almost lost it when they were forced to stay at the school for another half an hour just to get all the stupid official stuff done. The moment they were dismissed, he turned and ran straight out of the school yard.

"Yami Mutou?"

He almost ignored the call, but common sense forced him to look around. He stopped as he saw a familiar black limo parked at the curve.

"I have orders from the young master to bring you straight to the hospital sir." The driver said with a bow.

'_Ra bless you Mokuba…' _Yami thought with a heavy sigh.

He practically leapt into the back as the door was opened, startling the driver, who jumped again as Yugi seemed to appear out of no where, and dived in after his alter ego. Yami wasn't surprised, in fact, he was quite happy about it.

What did surprise him, was when Yugi had to quickly jump into his lap to avoid being squashed by Malik, who sprang in after them only seconds later.

"Umm, excuse me sir…" The driver began.

"Clear the run way!"

He barely avoided Jou literally diving in through the door, whilst the occupants of the elegant interior had no where to run, as he found someway to squash all of them.

"Pardon me." Ryou spoke politely to the driver, rubbing the back of his head as he also climbed in.

Bakura was right behind him, but instead only offered a scowl, as if daring the driver to try and stop him.

"Wait! Enough already!" The driver finally ordered before anyone else could try, "The young master said Mutou might have some friends with him, but I don't have room for all of you!"

"Then everyone else back to my car!" Mai instructed quickly.

She'd made sure to keep up with the bus this time.

"But even then we won't all fit." Anzu pointed out.

"My place isn't too far. I'll go get my bike." Honda answered, before holding his hand out, "You come with me Shizuka."

"Hold it! Shizuka's not getting on some unstable vehicle with you!" Otogi objected.

"Now you're insulting my ride? You've got one hell of a death wish pal!" Honda growled back, turning to face him.

"Could we please…just…GO!"

Everyone flinched at the hiss from Yami.

"You all go ahead. We'll catch up soon." Isis finally intervened.

No one disagreed, and those already in the limo quickly took their seats so the driver could close the door. When the vehicle began to move, Yami relaxed just enough to look around at the other occupants in the car. He wasn't entirely sure why each of them had been so quick to follow, but for the time at least, it didn't matter.

* * *

"Ah! Akio!"

Akio looked up at Mokuba's call, and saw Yami and the others arrive.

"How's he doing?" Yugi asked quietly.

"He's stable. No changes either good or bad." The red head sighed, before yawning.

He looked directly to Yami as he rubbed an eye.

"Alright, we've got him back here. What's next on the list?"

"I need to pay a visit to Kaiba's mansion." The ruby eyed teen replied, looking around to Mokuba, "Could you help me with that?"

"Sure…but you just got here, what do you need to go to our place for?" The raven haired boy answered.

"Hold it Yami…" Akio spoke suddenly, standing up, "You're going to see if he has any more…aren't you?"

"Yes." Yami answered stiffly, knowing he'd caught on.

"Anymore what? What did I miss?" Mokuba asked, turning to his cousin.

"It's not a good idea Yami…" Akio warned.

"I don't have a choice Akio!"

"A choice about what?" Yugi questioned, the curiosity spreading.

"Mokuba, if I know your brother, he would've kept a recording of that sound we heard the night that hacker attacked, correct?"

"Uuhh…probably. He's been on the lookout for the hacker ever since then, even though it seems they've dropped off the face of the planet…"

"That's it! Time out!" Jou spoke up, jumping between Yami and Akio, "Either you two get some form of translation for the rest of us, or speak in a language we all understand!"

Akio sighed and stood straight. Again Yami was reminded of who was the most adult figure amongst them.

"Yami believes that Frank…or whoever the culprit is…slipped Seto a certain chocolate that both he and Yami ate on the night they both got attacked by the hacker that's been trying to infiltrate Kaiba corp…there's no solid proof, but he wants to see if he'll be affected in the same way if he eats…"

Akio didn't even get the whole sentence out before a one man uproar silenced him.

"NO WAY NO HOW!"

Yami may have known about it all too well, but anyone else would be shocked at how frightening Yugi could become when angry. The small boy could very quickly create the illusion of someone much bigger when he got this way.

"If you think I'm going to let you do something so reckless, then think again!" The boy shouted, storming towards his alter ego, forcing him to back up, "I'm not even out of high school and I swear you've given me premature grey hairs!"

As Yami's back hit the wall, he felt Yugi's fist thud against his chest firmly, making him wince.

"How dare you even consider putting me through that! It's painful enough watching you have to deal with Kaiba being this way, now you're asking that I endure it?"

Yugi's knees buckled then as his head dropped.

Yami gripped his shoulders as he felt the boy tremble, before anger at himself forced his arms around the petite figure.

"I don't want you to have to endure anything of the sort Hikari." He answered quietly, his grip tightening, "If I knew of any other way to find Kaiba, then I'd chose it."

Yugi shifted a bit as the taller male shook for a moment.

"But this is the only clue I have. I know for certain that what we saw on the video is the same thing that happened to both of us that night. Maybe I don't know what it was exactly, and maybe I don't know where he is, but I do know that Kaiba is waiting somewhere, and I wouldn't be able to leave ANYONE I cared about waiting longer than I could help it."

Yami was unaware that the rest of his friends had reached the hospital, and were silently listening at the door.

Anzu stood separate from them, leaning back against the wall as Yami's voice reached all of them, the emotions in his words penetrating even her heart.

"I know…I know…" Yugi finally whimpered, clinging protectively to his dark half.

"Ok listen…" Jou cut in, "…I still don't really get what's going on, but even if you manage to pull this off, and whatever happened to Kaiba ends up happening to you, do you think this is the place to do it?"

The others shifted simultaneously as they realised what he was saying.

"Fair point. The doctors still don't know what happened to Seto. If Yami suddenly collapses as well, things could get out of hand to say the least." Akio agreed.

"But then where can it be done? Perhaps someone could go with Yami and watch over him?" Ryou suggested, still looking confused.

"What about our place? You said you have to go there anyway?" Mokuba put in.

"Some how I don't think it would be a good plan to separate them." Akio spoke seriously, making them look up, "I don't agree with this plan, but if you're insistent on going through with it Yami, then I think it's best we keep both you and Seto together where we can watch over you both."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Mai asked as she walked in, making them jump, "If you can't do…whatever it is…here, then where can you go? There's no way the hospital will let Kaiba go when he's unconscious."

This time everyone fell quiet, able to see her point.

"We'd have to sneak him out somehow." Malik said weakly, the guilt in his voice making it clear that such an act was beyond even his mischief level.

"Good luck with that. Even if by some chance no doctors noticed, the security cameras would." Otogi replied bluntly.

"Wait!" Mokuba exclaimed, his face brightening, "Akio, you could hack into the security system and shut the cameras down, right?"

"He can?" Jou blurted out, his eyes bulging as he looked to the red head in question.

"You bet! Akio's almost as smart as Niisan!" Mokuba stated proudly.

Yami was just as surprised as the others. True he wasn't one to judge by looks, but Akio really didn't strike him as a Kaiba-like genius.

"That's a heavy exaggeration Mokuba…" Akio debated calmly, "And whilst your idea isn't bad in theory, there's one massive problem with it…"

"What's that?" The raven haired boy answered, not sounding convinced.

"The hospitals security system…it was designed by non other than Seto himself." Akio answered with a dry smirk, watching everyone's reactions, "I don't know any of the details, but a few years back, Seto helped with some serious security upgrades to this place. I don't know how even a large hospital like this one could afford such high level security, so my only guess is that it was a public service thing…"

"You mean to polish the company image or something?" Malik asked.

"Yeah, exactly. In any case, I've seen this security with my own eyes. It can detect even the stealthiest hackers, and the moment it does, it strikes back. Not only does it stop the hack, but it counter attacks with a virus that infiltrates the hacker's system, and takes full control. At the same time, it sends a signal back to Kaiba corp, giving the location of the hacker, who has no control over anything, they can't even switch off the machine. They'd literally have to destroy it to stop the signal."

"Talk about over kill. I've seen some of the things Kaiba can do, but he actually made something like that?" Otogi gasped.

"What? You don't think it sounds just like him?" Akio gave a humoured smirk.

"It's exactly something he would do." Yami agreed quietly, his sullen tone taking the humour out of the room.

"Then what about a blackout? If you just cut the power for a short time…" Honda began.

"Have you forgotten where we are?" Akio cut it, his voice sounding appalled, "This is a hospital! There's people counting on the power in this place to keep them alive! Even just a minute without the equipment could be fatal to someone!"

"Ok ok! Sorry…my bad…"

"Akio, was it?"

The red head was caught off guard as this time it was Bakura who stepped forward.

He'd been so quiet and still that he'd almost been invisible.

"Tell me, is a way to get Kaiba out unseen the only thing you need?"

* * *

The only thing that greeted him as he opened his eyes was darkness, and for a moment he questioned if he'd gone blind.

Seto shifted as much as the chains binding him would allow. He glared at the computer screens a short distance away, as if he could see his currently absent captor standing there.

He gritted his teeth and pulled hard at the thick chains, willing them to break. But they held just as firmly as they'd done the entire time.

"Tsk tsk Seto, you really should give it up already."

The sapphires shot around to Noah, who'd walked out of the surrounding darkness, casually sipping from a fine china cup.

"How long has it been?" Seto growled.

"That depends on where you mean Seto." Noah answered as he placed the cup back on its plate, "In this place time stands still, but if you're talking about the outside world, then about three days have passed."

Seto glared daggers at the other male, before turning his face away silently.

Noah's eyes widened in amusement, and he set the cup down on the arm of his chair.

"I know what you're thinking Seto…" He taunted cruelly as he walked towards his captive, "…its Mokuba isn't it? You miss him don't you?"

"Close your mouth right now!" Seto hissed around at him.

Noah just laughed.

"Don't be so hasty Seto. I could always send him instructions on how to get here as well. Now wouldn't that be just perfect? The three Kaiba brothers all together in the same place…"

He cut off as the chains creaked loudly.

"If you dare touch him…!" Seto threatened furiously.

The muscles that weren't always obvious showed their true strength as they tensed.

"And for the record, you are not our brother!"

Noah's eyes narrowed at the remark, but his smirk returned soon enough as he shrugged.

"Not by blood I suppose."

He moved towards the metal board, and sat on the edge. He relished the pure frustration in Seto's eyes at not being able to strangle him despite being in arms reach.

"Not that I expected anything less from you, but if you didn't resist so much, I could loosen your chains a little.

"What're you doing this for anyway? Planning to try stealing my company again?"

"Steal?" Noah laughed, "Kaiba corps progression in the world may still be a concern of mine, but I can admit which of us is most suited to running the company."

Seto seemed caught off guard by that answer, but his gaze soon hardened again.

"Then what? What is it you want?"

Noah smirked again, before quite suddenly lowering himself down over Seto, so their faces were extremely close.

"In a word…? You."

His smirk became a cruel grin as Seto's face changed to some amusing mixture of shock, confusion and disgust.

"Blood may not tie us together Seto, but the name Kaiba does. You yourself established that when you challenged my father and defeated him. Oh, and before you even try, don't go telling me you'd change that decision if you had the chance. You wanted to give Mokuba the very best out of life, and you were willing to do anything to get that. Perhaps you couldn't predict the exact degree of my father's cruelty, but I'll be you knew all too well that you couldn't expect much happiness from being adopted by him."

The aqua haired male crossed his arms over Seto's chest and rested his chin upon them.

"But then it wasn't your happiness that mattered, was it Seto? You'd go without everything until the day you could take over Kaiba corp, correct?"

He flinched back as the chained CEO spat at him, hitting him in the eye. He sat back as he wiped it away, his expression making his thoughts clear.

"How unrefined Seto, I could've sworn you had better manners than that."

He stood and walked away, holding his hands behind his back.

"Oh well, it's not as if it'll change your current position." He laughed, composing himself.

"Tell me this."

He frowned hard, and looked back over his shoulder.

"How did you manage to infect those chocolates? You can't have made them yourself." Seto spoke quietly, his anger reined in for a moment, though it waited anxiously to lash out again.

Noah moved back to his seat and sat down before he answered.

"All I had to do was find the weakness in the company…"

"Meaning…?"

"Meaning the few workers willing to betray you. Despite your harsh rule, most of your employees are dead loyal to you Seto. However, there were just a few, spiteful workers who you'd apparently called useless in the past. I simply offered them the chance to climb the ladder of success."

"Let me guess, they make your nano technology for you, and in return you help them to outshine me since I've never implemented nano technology in anything?"

"Correct Seto."

"So what happened then? Since you obviously didn't uphold your end of the bargain."

"Well that's where it got interesting. I was watching over Kaiba mansion one day…"

"You mean you hacked the security system and spied on us!"

"I prefer _'observed'_. In any case your butler found out, and decided he wanted to have a chat. To sum it up, he said he knew what I was trying to do, and that he was all too willing to help."

"Do you actually expect me to believe that?" Seto argued, "Frank is the one reliable servant who works for me!"

"Oh?"

Noah seemed to be holding in another laugh as he flipped open a panel on the arm of his chair, and pressed a button. The computer screens behind him began to slowly move together, and merged into one, upon which an image flashed into life.

Seto watched silently as Frank's face stared right back. He was clearly listening to Noah's voice as it played on the recording.

"_And who might you be?"_

"_I'm the butler that works within Kaiba mansion."_

"_Yes, I can see that. Now tell me just what Seto Kaiba's butler wants?"_

"_I heard a rumour that you've been looking for a way to sneak a certain item to Kaiba, am I correct?"_

"_And how do you know of that?"_

"_Is that really what's important when I'm here to offer your mission possible success?"_

A moment of silent consideration followed.

"_Before you tell me how you plan on bringing such success, explain to me first what you're expecting out of it?"_

Frank gave a cruel grin that seemed a world away from the gentle butler.

"_Nothing."_

There was another pause, but one could imagine Noah raising an eyebrow in doubt.

"_I know of what this nano technology of yours is meant for, and if it works, then that will give me exactly what I want."_

"_Which is?"_

"_Seto Kaiba out of the picture."_

"_I see. Then pray tell how that would benefit you? I'd hate to find out this was just a cliché scene of a butler trying to steal his master's fortune…"_

"_Kaiba's company is of no importance to me. Anything to do with Seto Kaiba himself…whether it be his wealth, his company, or even his family…means nothing. My interest is directed elsewhere, down a path that would be much easier to travel without him constantly blocking my way."_

Another pause…

"_I'm not sure what you could possibly be after, but if you can assure me that Mokuba and the company will remain unharmed, then perhaps we may talk…"_

The screen turned black, and Noah crossed his arms.

"The process was quite simple after that. Since the nano portals are so tiny, they're maintained within a special liquid that makes it far easier to handle them…a liquid that your so called loyal butler only had to inject a tiny amount of into the one food he could be certain you'd eat…"

The screen flicked back into life, and showed what appeared to be a security camera recording of Frank standing alone in a room. He was next to a table where a pile of assorted boxed chocolates sat in a heap. He picked out a familiar looking box of caramel centred chocolates, and unwrapped it.

"Frank was all too aware of your preference for caramel, and that they were the one variety he could be certain you wouldn't throw away." Noah explained as the footage showed Frank take out a syringe from a small box in his jacket, and inject barely a drop of a thick, grey/silver liquid into the bottom of each individual chocolate.

When the butler had finished and re-wrapped the sweets, the screen flickered off once more, and divided back into multi screens.

"Still think your butler is reliable Seto?" Noah whispered cruelly, the dark room almost making his eyes glow.

"Don't make me laugh." Kaiba answered bluntly, looking away, "That wasn't Frank."

"In denial Seto?"

"Stop calling me that! And for your information, I happen to know Frank well enough to know that even if that was him, he wasn't in the right state of mind!"

"Hmm, yes, he did seem a bit…out of it…but considering we both got what we wanted, I hardly think it's a need for concern." Noah shrugged.

"Huh, and there's proof of why Gozaburo chose not to make you the Kaiba corp. successor. A true CEO never enters a deal in which he doesn't know exactly what his business partner wants in return!" Kaiba retorted with a smug look.

He finally succeeded in hitting a very sensitive nerve, and Noah's eyes narrowed dangerously. The chains on the CEO's neck tightened heavily, causing him to choke.

"Remember Seto that the only thing you need to be aware of here is who's in charge."

The binds loosened again, leaving Seto gasping.

Not another word was spoken between the two of them as the aqua haired male walked away, disappearing back into the darkness.

* * *

"This is not a good idea…somehow…this is just NOT a good idea…"

"If you've got a better one then hurry up and spill it!"

"I didn't say 'I' have…but come on…like we won't get caught!"

"We will if you don't learn how to shut up!"

"Be silent all of you!"

The growl from Bakura was more than enough to make everyone zip it.

"Bakura…are you sure this will work?" Yugi asked quietly.

"Providing everything works out." Was the flat answer, as if Bakura doubted that would happen.

"Question. Why do _we _have to do the hard work?" Honda grumbled, Otogi looking just as annoyed next to him.

"Because when I asked who was the strongest here, your hands were the first to raise."

"Next time I'm waiting until after you tell us what we're meant to be doing." Otogi grumbled, folding his arms over his chest.

"And what about Jou and Rishid? They could try helping a bit." Honda added, looking to Jou, who just grinned.

"I know I've already explained this…" Bakura growled low in frustration, "Rishid is acting as body guard, and Jonouchi as a distraction should we need either of them."

"A distraction hey? Seems he found the perfect role for you Joukun." Mai teased.

"Heeeyy…" Jou grumbled.

"Isis, I trust you know what to do." Bakura continued, looking over his shoulder at her.

Isis closed her eyes and raised her hands to her sennen necklace. The item glowed faintly as it showed her what she needed to see.

"Soon a tall doctor with brown hair, glasses and a clipboard will pass by the room. Not long after that, we will hear a nurse drop a dish, and when another tells her off, that will be the time to act."

She lowered her hands and looked to Bakura.

"We will need to be fast, the gap of time will be brief."

The past life thief said nothing as he looked away. His silence compelled everyone else to keep quiet as they waited.

Anytime anyone walked past the door, at least one person in the room flinched, and when finally a doctor identical to Isis's description appeared, at least half of them almost gasped.

"Malik." Bakura said quietly.

Said teen stepped up behind him, a serious expression adorning his face.

"Sorry this is the best I can do…" He whispered.

"In this situation it may be one of the most important elements." Bakura muttered as he withdrew the sennen ring from under his shirt.

Not long afterwards, a sharp, metallic sound made them cringe, and a nurse promptly…not to mention loudly…accused someone of being clumsy.

"Now!" Isis alerted them.

Bakura and Malik responded immediately. The sennen ring began to glow brightly, one of the sharp points rising up to aim at the security camera in the room. A narrow beam of gold shot out and struck it in the lens.

"Move it! That camera won't black out for long!" Bakura ordered.

Malik placed his hands on his shoulders, his fingers clenching lightly as he began focusing his shadow energy into Bakura, who began expelling his own energy from the sennen item all around himself and the group. All that could be seen of the effect was a faint ripple in the air.

"The illusion is up! Get to work!" Malik said to them.

"Can they really not see us?" Shizuka asked quietly.

"What they'll see is us standing here as we are now. When we move away, we'll be invisible to their eyes." Ryou assured her.

"But what about Kaiba?" She continued, looking to where Honda and Otogi were at each end of the bed, failing to lift Seto more than a few inches off the mattress.

"Same rules apply to him. They'll think he's still in bed. The biggest risk is that someone will come to check on him before we get him out."

"What in Ra's name is taking so long?" Bakura hissed, looking over his shoulder.

"Have you tried lifting this guy?" Honda grunted, his teeth gritted in effort.

"I know Kaiba's tall, but how on earth can he be so heavy?" Otogi agreed.

"We have little time! Someone's coming!" Isis warned.

"Step back."

Honda and Otogi were both caught off guard as Rishid stepped up.

He pushed them aside and pulled Kaiba onto his back.

"Wait, the drip." Ryou quickly stepped in.

He carefully tugged the cannula out of the CEO's arm. A shiver escaped him as he did so, but a firmer look appeared on his face as he stepped back.

Yet again, Yami found himself momentarily distracted by the way Bakura was watching his Hikari, as if impressed he'd managed to do it.

'_Well, Ryou was one of the ones who threw up during that frog experiment…'_

"Alright, ready." Rishid spoke, standing as straight as Seto's weight would allow.

Yugi gripped his alter ego's hand as he felt him tense. Having to adhere to Akio's advice of waiting till visiting hours the following day had been a struggle enough for the past life pharaoh. Now as they watched Rishid, they could see he was clearly being careful, but with a number of fractures, it was difficult to carry the CEO.

"Then take position." Bakura instructed with a heavy sigh.

The white haired alter ego stepped forward with Malik still at his back, and Rishid following close behind. Everyone else carefully stepped into place around him.

"Yami."

The ruby eyed teen looked to Yugi, who was taking the sennen puzzle from around his neck.

"Help them out." The smaller boy said quietly, holding out the item.

Though they shared the puzzle, Yugi was the one who generally carried it ever since they'd separated.

Knowing his loving Hikari was trying to give him something else to think about, Yami gave a calm smile and nodded as he took it. As he placed it around his own neck, he watched as the eye upon the puzzle glinted, as if it recognised the switch to its other owner.

It began to glow faintly as he focused his shadow magic into the flow of Bakuras illusion, grinning ever so faintly as he felt the presence of Maliks energy.

Bakura gave him a single nod, before watching the doorway, and as soon as a patient on crutches had passed by, he led the group out of the room, everyone keeping formation as best they could.

"I know we have no choice, but this all seems so extravagant. Doesn't Kaiba have his own private hospital he can just be transferred to?" Mai questioned.

"We would've done that if we could, but Mokuba says that even though they have a very large, well equipped medical facility, it's not a registered hospital. They'd never let him be moved there." Yugi answered.

Shizuka shifted uncomfortably as a nurse walked straight past them, seemingly oblivious to their existence.

"Don't worry, they'll only see what Bakura wants them to see, which in this case is thin air. He's had plenty of practice making illusions, he does it all the time to slip out of class unnoticed if a lecture gets too long and boring." Ryou assured her.

A tiny grin slipped over the gentle boy's face, and it looked for a moment like he might laugh, before he composed himself, and stood straight again.

"How's the situation Isis?" Bakura asked after awhile.

"When we get to the next corner, wait for a moment until a couple of nurses pass by. Mai, Anzu, you'll need to move in closer, or they'll knock into you and disrupt the illusion." Isis answered, her hand back on her sennen item.

The group followed her instructions, Mai and Anzu quickly pressing themselves back against the wall as a couple of nurses almost brushed past them.

"You've gotten really good at using that sis." Malik complimented her.

"Well it helps when I have a little brother I need to keep an eye on all the time." Isis replied with a look that for her, had to be called playful.

It was a nice reminder that they were indeed brother and sister.

Getting to the bottom floor was far slower, and more tedious than anyone would've liked, but eventually they made it. The whole time, Yami had trouble keeping his focus on his job rather than on Seto.

'_Everyone's going through so much trouble for a mere possibility. Please…please let my assumption be correct.'_

"Wait!"

Everyone halted and looked to Isis.

Her eyes were wide with worry, though her mind was wherever the sennen necklace had taken it.

"Which way is best Isis?" Rishid asked quietly.

"I…I can't find one…" Isis whispered nervously, "There're people in every direction. The best chance we have is down that passage to the left coming up, but there's a doctor standing down there, and he's showing no signs of moving."

"If we have to make a run for it, then we will." Honda stated.

"We can't." Yami said before he could stop himself, his eyes darting to Seto and back.

"He's right. It's risky enough to be moving Kaiba like this, running would likely worsen his injuries." Rishid backed him up.

"Don't forget yourself. I can see even you find Kaiba heavy." Malik said protectively, "You could hurt yourself as well."

"I'm sorry, I should've looked ahead to this." Isis apologised.

"Apologies won't make us move forward." Bakura stated, "Isis, if that one doctor is moved, will the path be clear?"

"Yes, there would be an almost straight run to the car park. But he's standing directly in the middle of the walkway, there isn't room for all of us to manoeuvre around him."

"Then Jonouchi, distract that doctor and get him to come out of the passage!"

"Huh? Oh right, got it!"

Jou grabbed Honda and Otogi with him, a small ripple seeming to flutter through the air as they moved away.

"Stay still the rest of you. If you leave the range of the illusion, you won't be able to get back into it." Bakura warned.

"What're you doing?" Otogi complained as the blonde wrapped his arms over their shoulders and leant his weight upon them.

"Just play along!" Jou muttered.

He dragged them down to the specified walkway, where he must've seen someone, because he then raised his leg off the ground and shouted;

"OW OW! MY FOOT! Hey Doctor, can you help a guy out here?"

Well it certainly got the doctor's attention, though he stared in as much disbelief as the rest of the group.

"You must be joking, I thought even Joukun could act better than that." Mai whispered quietly, holding her face in her hand.

"Young man, please do keep your voice down, this is a hospital after all." The doctor instructed calmly.

"Hey, cut a guy some slack here, I think my foot's broken!" Jou replied.

"I rather doubt that."

"Oh I'm pretty sure he's not kidding…he's such a cluts, it was bound to happen sooner or later…" Honda tried to play along.

"Yeah no kidding, he did fall on it pretty hard. We tried to warn him but would he listen?" Otogi played along.

"Nope." Honda added, trying not to grin.

Jou struggled not to have a go at them for taking the chance to tease him.

"Your friend looks quite healthy to me." The doctor answered firmly, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm rather busy right now."

"Hey! Come on! What kind of doctor are you? Aren't you even going to have a look?"

"Even if I thought you might be serious, broken bones is not my area of knowledge, I would send you straight upstairs to the orthopaedics ward."

"At this rate we're just going to get caught out." Malik whispered.

Yami looked to him as he heard a crack in the male's voice. Both he and Bakura were showing signs of tiring, and even he was beginning to feel the strain of using shadow energy this long. They couldn't stand around forever.

"We have to do something fast. The way behind us is blocked, and people will soon be coming from the way in front of us." Isis said.

"Anzu? What're you doing?"

Shizuka's voice made them look around.

Anzu had moved out of the range of the illusion. She walked back a few steps, before running straight forward. As she came to the corridor, Yami felt his heart leap in panic as her feet slid out from under her, and with a yelp, she tumbled hard to the ground.

"Anzu? Anzu what happened?" Honda asked, dropping Jou as he turned to her.

"I'm fine…" She answered as she sat up, her arms shaking from the shock.

"Miss are you alright?" The doctor questioned as he walked over to help her up.

As he pulled her up, Anzu turned her eyes to stare directly at where she knew the group to be standing. The firmness of her gaze told them everything.

"Anzu…did she just…?" Yugi whispered in awe.

"Keep moving." Bakura ordered, and began walking again.

"Anzu…" Yami whispered.

She wouldn't have been able to see him outside of the illusion, and yet somehow, he felt certain that it was him she was staring at.

'…_Thankyou…'_

"I'm sorry sir, I was just looking for my friends. I shouldn't have been running." Anzu apologised with a bow to the doctor.

"Well if I was to be frank, a young lady of your age should know better. However, what's important is of course that you're not hurt." The doctor sighed, making sure she was steady before stepping back.

Bakura led the group around them, his focus on the path ahead, though the others kept an eye on their friends.

"Isis?"

"Turn right at the end of the corridor, and keep going straight until we get to the large sliding doors that lead out to the back gardens and staff parking. We'll have to go around the building to get back to the visitor parking, but it's a clear run. There's too many people blocking the path through the main entrance."

The Egyptian woman's words were spot on again, and as they got outside, all but Rishid picked up the pace to a fast walk. The sight of Akio's van around the front caused a groan of relief amongst them, and once close enough, Bakura knocked impatiently on the back doors.

"Guys? Is that you?" Mokuba answered, opening the doors, "Huh? Where are you?"

He yelped and sprang back as Bakura pushed his face through the illusion, giving the poor raven haired boy the strange image of a floating face.

"Move aside Mokuba."

The younger Kaiba scrambled up and moved to the back of the van. He watched as Bakura…or his face…moved to the side, and the next thing, Rishid slowly began to appear, Seto draped over his back.

"Niisan! You guys did it!" Mokuba cheered.

"We're not finished yet." Mai answered as she, Yami and Ryou rushed out of the illusion to help Rishid lower Seto to the mattress prepared in the back of the van.

Isis, Yugi and Shizuka stepped into the van, and finally, Bakura and Malik climbed in, shutting the doors before they fully dropped the illusion.

"Please tell me we're not going to have to go through that again once we get to Kaiba's mansion?" Malik whined as he fell to his knees in exhaustion.

"No, I already called and told them to prepare a bed for Niisan in the medical room. They know we're coming." Mokuba answered as he held up his phone.

"Everyone ready back there?" A call from the front made them jump, before Akio peered around at them from the driver's seat.

"We're good to go Akio." Mai replied.

With nothing more than a nod, Akio turned back around and started the vehicle. After a few roars from the engine, and a couple of tense, sharp turns, Yami peered over the front and saw they were on the main road, away from the hospital.

"Do you think my brother and the others will be alright?" Shizuka asked.

"Don't you worry about them Shizuka, they can handle themselves." Mai comforted her.

"I hope Anzu's alright…" Yugi mumbled quietly to his alter ego.

"I'm certain she'll be fine." Yami replied as he sat down, though he shared the same concern for all his friends.

"Hey Yami?"

He looked up to meet Mokuba's gaze.

"So…do you mind if I ask? What's been happening between you and Niisan exactly?"

The raven haired boy moved over to sit by him, keeping his voice hushed.

Yami moved his fingers through his hair thoughtfully.

"I'm…not sure how to answer…"

"Well, how long have you been going out?"

Yami paused to think.

"Officially…not even a full two months…but we spent a few times together before that…"

"When was your first date?"

Mokuba was trying to look serious, but his eyes betrayed his child like curiosity. In this brief moment of rest, it seemed he wanted to learn as much about his brother's relationship as possible. It made Yami smile a little.

"The first time I went to dinner at your place, although that didn't really go so well. The first official date, we went to the restaraunt where Akio works…"

"Akio was in on this?"

"Not before that night…" Yami chuckled, "…we had dinner there, and then we went on a cruise boat in the harbour."

"You what!"

"We…went on a small river boat…in the harbour behind Pandora's Secret…"

"You got Niisan on a boat?"

Yami could only give a confused look in return.

"Yes, he's the one who organised it…"

"Seto did?" Mokuba blinked rapidly, before looking away.

Yami's confusion suddenly seemed to occur to him.

"It's just…Seto hates boats. He's not afraid of them or anything, but he gets motion sickness really bad out on the water."

Yami never would've expected to hear that. He recalled the date that night, and couldn't picture the slightest sign of discomfort from the CEO.

'_Wait…'_

There was something…a moment in time he'd practically forgotten. At the beginning of the cruise, He'd seen Seto having a mouthful of water…

"Does your brother by chance take medicine to prevent the sickness?"

"Yeah, motion sickness pills, he has to. With them he's perfectly normal, but if he doesn't have them, then it's not pretty…"

'_So that's what that was about…why did I let it slip past me at the time? Yet it's strange…Seto's favourite element is water…but why would he have organised that if he was already aware of how he handles it?'_

"So…was there anything else?"

He almost jumped at Mokuba's next question.

"Well, between then and going on the school trip, we either went to dinner or studied together a few times. While we were on the trip, we went to a small café together, before that night when we…"

He trailed off, his eyes saddening at the memories.

If only they had stayed on the beach, enjoying the sound of the waves and the warmth of the fire…

"Thankyou Yami."

Again Mokuba made him look up in surprise. The boy's eyes showed he understood Yami was hurting again.

"Thank you for being there for my brother. I don't know why he was acting so cold to you before this happened…" Mokuba spoke quietly, looking to the motionless form of Seto, "…But now I know I wasn't imagining it when something seemed different about him, ever since you started coming over. I never put two and two together, at least not how I should've…but if you're serious about Niisan, then I want to help you find your way back to him!"

The boy's fist was clenched and his eyes determined. Yami had seen that determination in Seto before, and like he's once seen in Akio, it was like Mokuba's own version of the same strength.

He didn't know what to say, nor did he think he could speak without becoming a weak mess. Instead, he just wrapped his arms gratefully around the younger Kaiba.

'_I'm not sure there's anything you can do Mokuba…you know better than any of us…once Seto has made his mind up about something, it's pretty much determined that his __decision won't be changed. If he really wants nothing more to do with me, then I may never get to see him that way again…'_

He could never forget those gentle sapphires he'd seen at the waterfall that night, and he was grateful they didn't plan to leave his memories.

'_However, I have to at least try to help him now, that's what's most important at this time.'_

He felt Yugi join in the hug at his back, and actually hoped…even if only for a minute…that this moment would be allowed to endure for awhile.

* * *

_Man...you never realise just how long a chapter is until it comes time to edit...^^'_

_Now that the hacker has been revealed, I can finally...FINALLY put up the fanfart that inspired Noah's role in this story. I want to say thankyou so much to the artist who created the fanart...I don't know who you are, but I found the picture years ago, and without it, this story would've either taken a very different turn, or possibly been non existant...so thankyou very much :)_

_I'll put the picture up on my profile as soon as this chapter is posted._

_To everyone else, thankyou for reading, as always, I'll update asap!_

_Reviews are loved!_


	19. Chapter 19

_Wow, this has to be my fastest update in a long time! :D True it still took a few months...but honestly? I think the majority of that time was spent on updating my other story._

_Although a few parts were stubborn about working with me, this was definately one of the funest chapters I've written :D It's a lot shorter than my normal chapters, but I'm perfectly happy with both how it begins and ends._

_I might have said this last chapter, can't remember...but well done to those who guessed Noah before his name was revealed :)_

_Anyway, please enjoy! :D_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of it's characters...just love the series! ^-^_

* * *

_**Chapter 19:**_

_The pathway he was on felt so much narrower than it was, almost like the air itself was pressing in around him, making it difficult to breathe or move._

_Inhaling deeply and clutching his chest, he turned down a passage, leaning against the stone wall. He shielded his eyes though when he found the way to be so much brighter than the dark tunnel he'd just come from._

_The long room was quiet, the pillars standing tall and gleaming almost gold in the sun light that shone through the arch windows._

_He followed the straight path towards the balcony, where someone was standing. He couldn't clearly make out much beyond the purple cape that danced feverishly in the breeze, but he felt he didn't need to see…he already knew._

_Yet, he still longed to lay eyes upon what the bright sunlight silhouetted, and only when the still figure shifted at the sound of his approach, did he himself stop._

"_Pharaoh?"_

_The figure over seeing the city below turned to face him. Their eyes were hidden by shadows, but the smile that greeted him was welcoming and glad of his presence._

_The pharaoh beckoned for him to come closer, a gentle breeze blowing in through the passage, caressing his face with a touch colder than he would've imagined._

* * *

Seto grunted a bit as the dream faded away into darkness, though the cold touch of the breeze still lingered.

"Pha…" He croaked out as his eyes slowly slid open.

Someone was staring down at him, and the moment his vision was no longer blurry, he hissed sharply.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!" He growled, pulling away from the hand that had been gliding over his forehead.

"You looked like you were having a rather pleasant dream Seto." Noah chuckled, stepping away, "You kept repeating something, though I admit I couldn't make it out."

"If you ever touch me again…!"

"Seto…" Noah cut him off, "I could do a lot more than touch you without you being able to do anything but complain."

One of Seto's wrist chains groaned a little, but held strong.

Noah looked ready to continue talking, but a quiet beeping sound caught his attention, and he turned to the computers.

"Well well, what's this now?" Noah spoke seriously for a moment as he inspected a flashing red light on the board.

It didn't bother him for long though, as his smirk quickly returned.

"Seems you have company Seto." He stated, taking his seat.

He threw a sly look over his shoulder to the restrained CEO.

"Come now, it would be rude not to greet them."

With a simple beacon of the captor's finger, Seto's chains loosened, causing him to inhale sharply.

However, before he could get control of his stiff muscles, the chains snapped free of the board and pulled him to his feet.

The chains upon his wrists yanked his arms behind his back and tied them together, making the brunette grunt in pain.

The rest continued to drag him towards Noah, slithering and chinking through the air like hissing metal snakes.

However, the sharp sapphire eyes narrowed in fury, and Kaiba planted his feet hard into the ground, refusing to budge.

"Your stubbornness is so amusing sometimes Seto…don't you even want to know who's come to see you?" Noah chuckled.

"No one even knows where I am! I don't care who the hell…!"

The brunette cut right off as a smug Noah snapped his fingers, making the computer screens flash into life.

The CEO was distracted just long enough for Noah to give another silent command to the chains, which pulled Kaiba right off his feet. He continued to struggle as he was dragged forward, but his movement became restricted once again as the chains found new places to bind him to.

Those on his ankles, legs, chest and elbows one by one found a spot on the dark ground, and appeared to be absorbed into it to the point that they pulled tight on Kaiba, making it almost impossible to move at all. Finally, the chain around his neck snapped up, and attached itself to a metal cuff around one of Noah's wrists.

"Come Seto…" Noah whispered, giving the chain a small tug, just enough to pull the brunettes head to his knee.

Kaiba hissed as he felt fingers trail uninvited through his hair.

"…come say hello."

* * *

"I know this isn't the time for whining…but are we there yet?"

"That's enough Malik."

"Like you weren't thinking it to Isis, you're not as patient as you pretend to be."

"Sorry guys, we hit traffic along the way, but we're here now." Akio assured them, "Mokuba, crawl over the front and give them your identity for me."

"The guards know who you are." Mokuba answered as he crawled over the seat.

"Yeah, but I think they'll question bringing a rusty old van like mine into the grounds. It serves me well, but it's a bit of an eye sore against your brother's cars, don't you think?"

Mokuba leant past him to stare out the window.

"Let us in!" He ordered the guard at the gate to the Kaiba mansion.

The gates were hastily opened, and Akio drove into the grounds. As he pulled up, he barely had time to turn the engine off before the back doors flew open, and Kaiba's private medical team ordered everyone out of the van.

Yami came close to hitting one of them as he was practically thrown out, and forced himself to look at Kaiba as a distraction.

"Young master, I must insist that he'd be better off at the hospital." One spoke as the others carefully transferred the CEO to a stretcher.

"And I told you he's staying here! Now hurry up and get your boss inside!" Mokuba retorted harshly.

The group followed behind the med team, Yami forcing himself not to get too close. They were made to wait outside the medical room whilst they set up inside.

"Jonouchi, where are you now?"

Yami looked up as he heard Mai speak on her phone.

"We're on our way now, but does anyone happen to know how to say hurry up in Chinese? Cause our taxi driver certainly isn't getting the message in English!"

"Most don't understand English when you yell Jonouchi."

"Who said I was yelling?"

Mai gave a light smirk.

"Joukun, how long have known you? Just give us another call as soon as you get here so Mokuba can get you inside."

She hung up and looked around.

"Yami dear, didn't you have a reason for needing to come here?"

It snapped in Yami's head that he needed to get to work. Without thinking, he took one last glance to Seto through the window, and ran off down the corridor. He hadn't gone far though, when he stumbled to a stop, looking around frantically.

"Yami!"

Mokuba had been fast to keep up with him.

"Where is it you need to go?"

"The dinning room. The one we were in the night the hacker attacked."

Mokuba nodded, and grabbed Yami's hand. He raced down the halls, knowing his way around the maze of doors and passages that all looked the same to Yami.

They finally came to a room that almost made Yami smile to remember.

'_It's been awhile…as soon as we started going official, Kaiba always took me to Pandora's Secret for dinner. I don't think I've been back in here since that time.'_

He looked around the room, before darting over to the table flashing in his memory, and was relieved to find the beautiful box he recalled.

'_Please please please…'_

He carefully opened the box, and sighed thankfully when he found a handful of the golden wrapped sweets there.

"So this is where he put it."

The boys looked up to find Akio leaning against the door frame, a soft smile on his face. Yami looked between the red head and the item in his hands.

"Akio…is this…?"

"Yeah, the box I recovered from my parents. I should've known, Seto once told me that their mother had always used it for her favourite candy and nothing else. I was confused at first when he got so angry that my mother had used it as a jewellery box, but now I understand it was a sentimental thing…a memory of his mother had been tarnished…"

"Even though we have a lot of things, Seto doesn't actually have much he'd be upset to lose, but he's always been protective of that box. I'm surprised he doesn't keep it in his room." Mokuba added.

Yami traced his fingers carefully over the gold and silver designs.

"Because he believes it to belong to both of you. She was your mother as well after all."

He was only half aware of his words…they'd come out so instinctively that he was caught off guard by the looks of surprise from both Mokuba and Akio.

"Well…umm, right. Now we just need that ghastly sound. I'm guessing the control room would be the best place to look?"

"Probably. Come on." Mokuba agreed.

They rounded up the others on their way back out, and followed the younger Kaiba brother. He led them to the elevator where Yami probably would've reminisced…had he not been squashed against the cold metal wall, since no one wanted to wait for a second ride.

"Note for the future Mokuba…you need bigger elevators!" Malik gasped out, stuck behind Rishid.

"We don't usually have this many visitors down here!" Mokuba yelled back, "They're not designed to carry more than a few people!"

There was a shared groan of relief as the elevator stopped, and the doors opened, allowing them to literally spill out. Mokuba was first to recover, and ran to the doors at the end of the short walkway.

"Ok, just through here and we'll be…"

Mokuba cut off and halted as the doors opened, making Malik almost tumble over him.

"What in Ra's name?" Isis whispered, an uncommon slip of blunt shock from her.

"Wasn't the medical team enough of a welcoming committee?" Mai spoke dryly as she looked to the squad of guards standing in their way.

Yami could make out the huge screen at the end of the control room, and it made him shiver.

'_Yami?'_

'_It's alright Yugi.'_

"It's alright, stand down. They're all with me." Mokuba ordered the guards.

"Young master, please step aside, we have orders not to allow anyone but you through here." One of the guards spoke.

"Orders? From who?" Mokuba demanded.

"From Kaiba san himself."

A moment of blank silence…

"What…but that's..." Malik blurted out, before looking over his shoulder, expressing what they were all thinking.

"Impossible! My brother is still unconscious in the medical room! We were just there!" Mokuba answered, trying to stay calm, but the confusion was spreading further over his face.

"Mokuba."

The voice silenced every single being in the room. They all wanted to ask the same thing, but no one spoke until the large screen opposite them burst to life.

"Niisan!"

"Kaiba?" Yami whispered in shock as the proud and dignified face of Seto Kaiba stared right back at them…

...very much awake!

"Yes little brother..." Kaiba answered Mokuba, offering only him a softer look, "I know I've had you worried, but I want you to know I'm alright."

"But where are you?" Mokuba cut in, the fear breaking through, "We just saw you now, unconscious!"

"Mokuba, listen to me carefully, you've been dragged into a giant lie..."

At that the sapphires turned harshly to the rest of them.

"...Not one of them can be trusted."

Yami's heart stood still in shock, and he knew his wasn't the only one.

"What're you saying?" Mokuba replied, "They're my friends...OUR friends! You know they can be trusted!"

"No they cannot. Little brother, someone has captured me, and until I know who, you're the only one I'm trusting."

Mokuba looked to his friends desperately.

"The police suspect Frank." Akio quickly came to his rescue, "It's hard to believe, but all the evidence points to him..."

"Frank?" Kaiba said with a dry chuckle, "Oh he most certainly played a role in it, but he's a butler for a reason...because he follows orders, he doesn't give them."

He turned his attention to the guards.

"Remove these intruders from my sight!"

"Wait!" Mokuba protested before the guards could advance, but he seemed unsure what to do, "...what about Akio? And Yami? Don't you even trust them?"

Kaiba gave a contemplating look for a moment, and Yami found himself frowning in confusion.

'_That doesn't look...'_

"I suppose Akio perhaps...but Yami?"

The sapphires turned to the past life pharaoh.

"Why should I trust the one who hurt me?"

Yami thought the floor had just vanished from under him, and that he was going to plummet forever.

'_So...it was my fault...I did...'_

His thoughts paused as Kaiba flinched and gritted his teeth, looking to something off screen.

He seemed like he was in pain.

"Niisan?"

"It's nothing Mokuba." Kaiba replied, turning his focus back, "Fine, then Akio may stay...under careful watch...the rest of them, out."

"How can you do this Kaiba!"

Yugi surprised everyone by being the one to speak up. Yami was shocked by the anger on his face.

"Even if you don't like us, haven't you learnt after all this time that if we say we're here to help, we mean it?"

Yami tried to hide a flinch as Yugi's grip on his arm tightened. He hadn't even felt his hikari's support, but now realised that was the only thing that had initially stopped him from falling.

"And I should believe that why Yugi?" Kaiba retorted, "As far as I'm concerned, you lot always stick your noses where they don't belong!"

"Honestly Kaiba, you do so well at acting like showing gratitude hurts you that I'm almost starting to believe it!" Mai retorted, her patience draining away.

"We've all been worried sick!" Shizuka spoke up, "Especially Yami. He hasn't been himself since you were injured."

"Yami is the reason I was injured in the first place. Why should I believe he's worried?"

Again Kaiba flinched.

"Niisan what's wrong?"

"Don't call him that..."

All eyes turned to Yami at the harsh whisper.

"Come again Yami?" Malik spoke, unsure he'd heard correctly.

"Mokuba...do not...call him that!" Yami repeated, looking up with a furious glare at the screen.

"Call who what? Don't call Seto Niisan? But he's my..."

"That is NOT your brother!" Yami bellowed, silencing the boy, "That...that is not...Seto Kaiba!"

The guards raised their guns as he stepped forward, Rishid quickly jumping to help Yugi stop him.

"Oh and who else would I be?" Kaiba replied harshly.

"Yami...he's right. I know it doesn't make sense, but who else could it be?" Mai said quietly.

"Something isn't right, for certain. However, there is little we can say when Kaiba is staring right back at us." Isis agreed.

"Bakura...?" Ryou whispered.

"There's no trace of shadow magic involved here." The alter ego answered knowingly.

"It truly seems you've gone off the deep end this time Yami, you need to get your eyes checked." Kaiba stated with a cruel smirk.

"My eyes work just fine, as does my hearing..." Yami replied with a calm confidence.

Kaiba gave a look as if to ask what his point was.

'_You fool...Seto Kaiba's image is never clear...you can't just stare at his face to see him...'_

"Do you honestly think a face and a voice can fool me? I've been through the same trick before, and there's as little of the real Kaiba in you as there was in the last faker!"

'_Yugi!'_

'_Kaiba?'_

Something sparked in Yami's mind for a moment, a long ago memory, but he forced it back before he could dwell on it.

"What proof do you have to justify your accusations Yami? How about you prove that you're not just demanding a truth you can't have?"

At that, Yami allowed a smirk, and took note of a small flicker in the sapphires that he recognised too well.

'_That...that alone is enough...'_

"The proof Mr. Wannabe...has been clear every single time you addressed me."

Kaiba didn't seem to understand that statement.

"The last time I saw Kaiba, he told me he'd changed his mind about letting me call him by his first name...more so, he refused to call me by _my_ first name!"

He didn't let himself watch as Mokuba's eyes grew wide, and Akio gave a silent look of agreement.

"You've addressed me as Yami this whole time! Kaiba would never have slipped up like that, nor would he do so simply because I wanted him to!"

The furious pharaoh pointed to the screen.

"As I said, my eyes also work fine. I've been watching you all this time, and not once have I seen Kaiba within your eyes!"

His body began to shake as the anger boiled beneath his skin.

"How dare you claim to be Kaiba when you flinched like that!"

"I don't recall flinching." Kaiba growled.

"Not with your body, no." Yami quickly corrected, and pointed to his own eyes, "Do you know how often I've seen uncertainty or doubt flicker through an opponent's eyes just because I gave them a confident look? Even if it was only for a second? Seto Kaiba would never have done that! His gaze would never falter under mine! No matter the situation!"

"It's true!" Yugi backed him up.

His friends...though confused...began to look more confident in what he was saying. However, after a brief pause, Kaiba himself just laughed in heavy sarcasm.

"You've managed to convince yourself quite well there Yami...oh, I'm sorry...Mutou..."

The smirk that came with the sentence made Yami grit his teeth in anger.

"However...why don't you try convincing them?"

He indicated calmly to the guards. A few were giving each other awkward glances, but otherwise remained unphased by the speech.

"Mokuba, this is not the time to be fooling around, come along!"

The raven haired boy looked completely lost. The word of another could sound as convincing as possible, but it was still so much harder to believe than solid proof. In the grey eyes, Yami could see him beginning to give in.

'_No...Not you Mokuba!'_

"Prove it!"

Kaiba glared at Yami as he suddenly stepped in front of Mokuba, his arm held out in front of him protectively.

"Prove what!"

"That you ARE Kaiba! You demanded proof from me that you're not Kaiba, but if you're so confident that I'm wrong, then why don't _you_ give _me_ proof?"

"As I've already said, what more evidence do you need than what's in front of you?"

"Let's pretend I'm blind and tone deaf then. Kaiba would be able to convince me of his identity, let's see if you can."

Yami felt his pride flaring.

'_Kaiba...my Kaiba...where are you?'_

"Very well, we'll play this game of yours. But when I prove myself, you'll release my little brother and leave for good."

"And when I prove you're lying, we'll see who you really are, and you'll tell us where the real Kaiba is."

"We'll see." Kaiba chuckled.

"Yes, we will." Yami muttered quietly with a dark smirk.

His hand had subtly slipped up to touch the sennen puzzle which still hung around his neck.

'_It's been a long time since I last called upon such powers, but if this is what I must resort to...'_

Yugi, Malik, Ryou and Bakura all flinched, the rising wave of dark magic washing over their auras.

'_I call upon the powers of the sennen puzzle, and to the darkest reaches of the shadow realm, I hereby declare a shadow game! When the opponent fails to answer the truth, then let their truth be revealed!'_

"Yami...no..." Yugi whispered, fear trying to pull him away from the eery red glint that stood out in his alter ego's crimson eyes, as the symbol upon their sennen item glowed deviously.

"Well, I'm waiting?" Kaiba said quietly.

"Here's the game. We'll ask each other questions about Kaiba. Answer truthfully, and you stay safe. If you win, I'll be forced to believe you, even if I don't want to." Yami instructed.

He added the last bit as a sort of sadistic temptation.

"If you think you know me so well, then let's play." Kaiba countered.

"Then I'll begin." Yami said finally, tired of fooling around, "Kaiba's favourite colour?"

"Blue of course, and white and black for second and third I might add." Kaiba answered with a smirk, "My turn. What's my favourite food?"

"Caramel, or anything sweet in small amounts that isn't over powering, such as fruit!"

He was aware of his friends staring at him, flabbergasted that he could give such a detailed answer, but he was just grateful for watching whenever Kaiba ate.

'_And here I thought I was being obsessive by doing so.'_

"How'd you know that one Yami?" Mokuba questioned, looking like even he couldn't have said anything more than caramel.

"Really? Kaiba? Sweet stuff?" Malik muttered, raising an eyebrow.

"Not bad." Kaiba answered, "Then back to you...Yami..."

He knew that time had just been to taunt.

"Does Kaiba prefer hot or cold?"

"Cold, freezing in fact. Anyone could answer these things about me Yami, so let's see if you can answer something a bit harder. What's my favourite kind of place to visit?"

Yami halted, forcing himself to think about his answer, and not just spout the first thing that came to him.

"Anywhere near water! Partically moving water, whether it be the ocean, a river, or even a waterfall!"

The date on the boat...the time by the ocean...following the river to Mokuba's birth place...

Kaiba's smirk shrunk a bit, but not completely.

"What class do Kaiba and I share!" Yami shot out fast.

"P.E." Was the swift answer, before the dark smirk grew back, "Why do I change separately from everyone else?"

Yami flinched back, looking to the floor. When his silence continued, Yugi touched his arm, worried. The Kaiba on the screen looked all too pleased, but finally Yami looked back to him.

"I honestly don't know."

His friends looked taken back, whilst Kaiba just laughed.

"Well that didn't take too long, but I guess you lose Yami."

"If I had lost, you'd know about it." Yami replied calmly with a smirk, watching as Kaiba's victorious sneer faded in confusion, "You didn't listen very well to the instructions did you?"

"What're you talking about!" Kaiba demanded, growing impatient.

It only made Yami smirk more.

"I said that you must answer a question truthfully, not that you had to know the right answer. The truth is that I don't know why Kaiba changes in a different area to everyone else, and I couldn't be more honest about that."

An angry, devious spark in his heart tempted him to rub a pinch of salt into that minor wound.

"Kaiba wouldn't have missed that rule."

"Shut it right now Yami! You got lucky by nothing more than a play of words!"

"Just remember to be careful faker..." Yami continued unphased, "If you honestly don't know, you can say so...but give an answer that's wrong, and it's all over. I suppose if you really are Kaiba though, you'll have nothing to worry about…"

"Just ask the next question!"

Yami let his smirk fade to a calm look of concentration, as he thought what to ask.

'_I need something only Kaiba would know...could I try that? I shouldn't...but...I may have no choice...Seto Kaiba...wherever you are...please forgive me...'_

"Finish this sentence!" He ordered, making sure he had the attention of the blue orbs again, "Brighter than the sun up high, more than the stars in the sky, no greater light have I seen..."

Mokuba...who's gaze had been shifting between the two...stared in shock at Yami, but he didn't speak, as if he understood the reason for using it.

"What're you reciting there Yami?" Mai questioned.

"...than that which I saw, when you opened your eyes."

Yami's heart jolted to hear the right words. No one else should have known them! Mokuba yes, Akio, maybe...but who else would know?

"Back to me then...Yami?"

"Yes, get on with it."

"Don't like it when I get an answer correct?" Kaiba mocked, "Serves you right for bringing that up in the first place. Here's my next question, true or false...I'm not afraid to accept any dare?"

"True, Kaiba isn't afraid to accept any dare...however! That doesn't mean he will accept a dare. If he thinks the repercussions of accepting aren't worth it, then he will turn it down."

"You only had to say true or false. You really do talk too much." Kaiba groaned.

"If I had simply said true, it would imply that Kaiba would foolishly and blindly accept any dare, which is far from the truth!" Yami retorted with a frown, "Not to mention an insult to Kaiba himself!"

"Just ask your next question, this is really a waste of time."

'_Come on...think...what would only Kaiba know?'_

"Try this one then; Give me no excuses for what you did..."

"...I'll hear non and accept non. No reason justifies your betrayal." Was the answer, "Did you honestly think you could use my own poem against me?"

Yami's fist clenched. He knew it wasn't Kaiba, but how could he prove otherwise?

"How many times have I kissed you?"

Yami knew he wasn't the only one a bit embarrassed by that question.

"I hope you realise Kaiba would NEVER ask such a thing!" He growled, "But if you must know, the answer is twice! Once on the back of my head where I'd knocked it, and the second by the river on the school trip."

The smug face turned sour again.

"Did _you _honestly think you could catch me out with that one? You thought I wouldn't have counted that first kiss?" He yelled, holding the back of his head, where he could still remember the feather light touch of Seto's lips.

"This could go on for some time..." Rishid spoke quietly.

"Perhaps, but one of them will have to slip up eventually." Isis replied.

It was getting harder to keep his cool, but Yami knew he had to focus. An idea had come to him, but he wasn't sure he had the courage to go through with it.

'_Seto…'_

The face he loved so much drifted through his mind, like a rippling reflection in the water, and his heart calmed.

"The night is impartial. So why must _this _darkness try to take what I am? What is mine? How is it that anything can stand to its strength…?"

The sentence from his poem slipped from his lips, and he knew his friends had turned to him in shock. Not one of them had to question the meaning of the words.

The face on the screen hesitated for a moment, before the sapphire eyes closed, as if in thought.

Yami watched intently, taking note of how the eyelids were flickering slightly…that definitely didn't look like an action of Kaiba's.

The silence endured just long enough to tempt him into thinking he had a chance of catching this stranger out, when the cruel smirk reappeared, and the cerulean eyes opened again.

"Why are _you _not afraid to save me…?"

Yami felt his heart lurch. He may have had to read that poem to everyone in his class, but he'd trusted only Seto to see it and remember it.

"How do you know those words?"

"Because you showed them to me…or have you forgotten our time on the beach together Yami?"

The words were cruel and sarcastic…but with each one Yami heard less and less of the one he sought.

He looked around desperately. The guards were all but convinced of what they saw and heard on the screen, and his friends…no matter how hard they tried…were starting to struggle to hold on to the belief of his words.

"Now Yami…how many vehicles do I own?"

Yami didn't look to the screen as he counted on his hand.

'_He has two limos…at least two normal cars…'_

He frowned and let his hand drop.

"For all I know Kaiba could have a whole collection of cars I don't know about…so honestly, I don't know."

"You know you can't keep using that trick Yami. The more you do, the less it shows you know about me."

Kaiba…or the Kaiba wannabe, was now resting his chin on the back of his hand, looking like he knew he had this in the bag.

Yami's mind was beginning to work against him. If he didn't think of something soon, he'd loose his chance to find Seto. He'd never be able to see or hear him again, and in his heart, he felt that would be worse than even the most silent darkness…

_'Silent?'_

"What…what does Kaiba prefer? Music or silence?" He muttered, his voice all but drained of it's strength as he stared to the floor.

Kaiba laughed loudly.

"Out of real questions Yami? Haven't you heard the saying silence is golden? Of course I Seto Kaiba prefer silence."

Yami didn't answer as his fist slowly unclenched by his side, but after a moment, he slowly looked up, his victorious smirk making the confidence quaver on the face staring back at him.

"Wrong."

"What do you mean wrong?"

"It is exactly how it sounds. I don't know what _you_ prefer, but all the questions were related to Seto Kaiba, and you're wrong if you think he prefers silence," Yami answered coolly, "If you know of that song, then you should've known the correct answer."

"Yami, how do _you _know?" Mokuba asked, though the confidence was returning to his eyes.

"It's true that Kaiba doesn't like a lot of noise or loud music, but that hardly means he doesn't like music at all. The first night he took me to Pandora's Secret was enough for me to know that. On the way there, he had the car radio playing, too quiet to recognise the music, but still loud enough to notice. Then when we went out on the boat, there was music playing just the same way. Also, I recall there being a stereo in Kaiba's gym. It looked like it didn't get used often...but it wouldn't even be there if it was never used at all!"

Yami boldly walked forward towards the screen, as the sennen eye on his forehead began to glow into life.

"If you had seen as I did, the calmness that comes over Kaiba…the way he just stops and listens to the movement of water, you would know that the truth is this; Seto Kaiba likes tranquillity, not silence!"

"Enough! Your twisted words mean nothing! Guards, remove them from my building now!"

Yami's eyes narrowed dangerously, making the guards flinch back before they even took a step.

"Not so fast intruder! You answered incorrectly, and by the rules of this shadow game, you must now pay the penalty!"

"This what?"

The entire sennen puzzle began to glow so bright that others shielded their eyes.

"PENALTY GAME! Secrets Unveiled!"

The bright glow was instantly swallowed up by the eye upon the puzzle, before being focused into a beam straight at the screen.

The so called Kaiba cried out as the screen sparked dangerously, his body shimmering a multitude of colours like a piece of mother of pearl.

And then it was as if his body liquefied, droplets evaporating away.

Another face was revealed, and when the stranger lowered his arm, a pair of angry blue eyes glared back at Yami.

But they were far from the sapphires he knew.

"What the hell did you do!"

"I simply revealed the truth…hacker." Yami answered calmly as the guards looked to the screen in shock, lost at how to react.

"Yami, who is that? He looks familiar…" Yugi whispered, moving closer.

"He should Aibou…" Yami answered.

"Noah?"

The quiet whisper had come from Mokuba. It didn't Surprise Yami in the slightest that he'd recognised the face looking back at them.

"That's right Mokuba," Noah answered calmly, though his temper was clearly restrained, "You would've found out the truth as soon as the rest were gone."

"You told us of Noah, but I thought you said he was a child, and that he had disappeared." Isis spoke quietly.

It occurred to Yami that the majority of those there had never seen Noah, though he didn't let it distract him.

"Where is Seto Kaiba!"

"And I should tell you why?"

"Tell us now Noah!" Mokuba demanded.

"You're taking their side Mokuba?" Noah began, but his eyes shifted back to Yami.

He was staring intently, but the ruby eyed teen had the feeling he wasn't necessarily looking at him.

"Well now, this could be interesting." The smirk returned, "If you miss him so much Yami, then come find him."

With nothing more than a challenging glare, the screen turned black.

"COWARD!" Yami yelled, but knew there was nothing more he could do, "Do you still plan to stand in our way?" He snarled at the guards.

"You heard him. All of you move aside now!" Mokuba ordered.

The guards clumsily got out of the way.

"Wait Mokuba…if Noah is responsible…" Yami muttered, looking to the precious box in his hands, "Then I think I know where your brother is. How far is it to your virtual reality machines?"

"You think Niisan's in the virtual world?"

"Of course! That would explain why his body is in fine condition, but he won't wake up or respond," Akio agreed, "But how could it be the same cyber world? He'd have to have had some link to Kaiba corps technology, and Seto's security would've picked straight up on that."

"Noah is pretty smart himself. He was the original heir to Kaiba corp., though we didn't know about him back then." Mokuba answered, "Seto once told me that all cyber space is connected to some degree."

"True. It's sort of like websites…each one is individual, but if you know the address, you can reach them."

"_Can_you find Kaiba?" Malik asked.

"If he's in the world he created, then it shouldn't be too hard…if he's somewhere else, it'll be a lot harder. But perhaps if we can find his location, we can reprogram the virtual reality machines to transport us there."

"How can you do that though? Even if a connection was possible, you'd have to find a way to do so." Ryou asked.

"As I said, it'll be a lot harder if that's the case, but perhaps…"

"What is it Akio?" Yami questioned when the red head turned away thoughtfully.

"Well, it's just a theory…but maybe…just maybe Noah created an added section to Seto's original creation."

"No way! Niisan would definitely have known if he had!"

"Not if it was kept separated from the rest."

"Akio honey, I think you'd best explain what you mean in simple English. I'm afraid most of us don't get computer talk." Mai said, touching his shoulder.

"Think of it a bit like a video game that happens to have a secret level. You may not even know it's there without being told, and there may be only one situation or condition that will allow you entry into it, but non the less, it's still part of the actual game."

"You really are as smart as Kaiba." Ryou complimented quietly.

"Honestly I'm not, I just enjoyed studying at school."

'_You should ask what his secret is.'_

'_Very funny Hikari.'_

"We'll need to search the entire program and any file linked in anyway to it. No, scratch that, search all of Kaiba corps programs. If Noah's mind can rival Setos, the connection could be hidden anywhere."

"Excuse me…sir?"

Akio looked to the scientist who had spoken.

"I'm sorry sir, it's just if you're looking at using the virtual reality capsules, there was a fault with the machinery not long ago, just before you arrived in fact."

"What kind of fault?"

"We're not entirely sure. Everything seems in order, but we can't get access to the machines. It's as if the security codes have been changed."

"He was prepared in case anyone showed up." Bakura said quietly.

"If we can't get the new codes…"

"…then we stick to the original plan." Yami interrupted, raising the blue box, "Noah got Se…Kaiba…there without the machines, and so we'll find out how he did so."

"Did my brother keep a recording of that sound we heard last time the hacker…Noah…breached our security?" Mokuba questioned as he turned to the scientists.

"Yes sir. Master Kaiba has had us studying the sound for awhile, and we just came across something whilst you were away."

"Show us!"

A few rapid clicks over the keyboard later, some image Yami couldn't really make out was brought up on one of the smaller monitors.

"We've known for some time that the sound was actually the product of something else, but the firewalls around the program have been all but impossible to break through. We only just managed a few days ago."

"Is this what I think it is?" Akio whispered as his eyes widened.

"Yes sir, a passage way through cyber space. We haven't determined where it leads yet, but we believe the sound occurs when the door opens on the other end. We can't yet get through that door, nor can we even see how to get to it. To put it bluntly sir, it's as if we can see the path but not how to get there."

"That's always the hardest part of any goal." Akio stated with a shrug.

Yami looked around as he thought he felt Akio's gaze shift to him, but if it had, he'd already looked away.

"We think perhaps this pathway might have been cut in two, and we need the other half to make any progress."

"Akio…"

Said male looked around to Yami, who gave him a firm look, and he nodded in understanding. He reached into the blue box and took a chocolate from it.

"We don't have time to wait, but I need you to analyse this." He instructed as he shoved it into a scientists hands, "Look for any thing out of the usual, even at microscopic level! Now get that sound ready…we need you to play it in a moment."

He turned back and placed his hands on Yami's shoulders.

"Yami…are you absolutely sure about this?" He whispered.

"Maybe I'm being a fool Akio, but what they've just shown us only makes me more certain."

He felt the hands tense on his shoulders, but eventually the red head sighed, and let him go.

"I'm going to stay here and try to keep an eye on things in the virtual world, and see if I can get the machines working again. But you have to promise you'll be careful, got it? If you really do wind up there, don't move straight away. As long as it's Kaiba's world, I should be able to find you."

"Um, excuse me…"

"Don't even question him!" Mokuba interrupted the scientist, "He's perfectly capable of handling the Kaiba corp. system, and until my brother is back, he's in charge now! Got it!"

"Mokuba, really…"

"Come on Akio! You have to!"

"He has a point Akio dear, the workers here are good, but they need someone to direct them, and not one of us has a clue about this stuff." Mai encouraged.

Akio scratched his head, groaning quietly.

"Alright. Just don't tell Seto." He answered with a light smile.

Yami sighed, feeling a nervous twinge in his stomach. He ignored what felt like a nudge to the box in his hands, until he heard the sound of something being unwrapped.

"Yugi!"

Too late. His Aibou had shoved the chocolate in his mouth and was munching it before he could hope to stop him.

"If you think…!" Yugi paused to swallow, "…if you think I'm letting you go alone, then you're dead set wrong pal!"

"Yugi…" Yami whispered, terrified for his Hikari.

However, he gave a small sigh, and a playful smirk as he hugged him.

'_Thankyou hikari.'_

"Pass me one Yami."

"No Mokuba."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't let you come, whether or not this turns out good."

"I'm not that much of a little kid anymore! Don't go being protective just because I'm Seto's little brother!"

"You shouldn't think such things Mokuba…" Yami scolded gently, "I'm being protective, because I care about YOU as well. I know you're strong Mokuba, stronger than a lot of people give you credit for…but you're also important to me, and I don't want anyone else in danger."

He looked to Yugi firmly.

"If you weren't so sneaky, you wouldn't be coming either."

"Like you could stop me."

"It's not fair…" Mokuba mumbled, looking down.

Akio wrapped an arm around his cousin's shoulders.

"He has a point though Yami, you two shouldn't go alone."

"They won't be a lone."

Bakura frowned as everyone looked to him.

"Look. It may not be my business that much, but this is hardly a smart plan. Besides, if it works, you'll be on Noah's turf, He'll have the advantage there."

The past life thief took one of the chocolates and chewed it with an annoyed look. Ryou…who had been surprised by his actions, gained a firmer look, and also snatched up one of the treats.

"Numbers might give us some strength against him."

Yami looked to the box again.

"Three left…"

"Dibs!"

A bronze hand flew in and out of the box faster than Yami could register.

"Malik no!"

"Sorry sis, but I'm going." Malik stated firmly as he dropped the gold wrapping.

"Rishid stop him!" Isis said sounding panicked.

But the taller man just placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and shook his head.

"Isis, he may not be alone, but I'm going one way or another. He's my best friend, whether or not I'm his…"

"Malik…" Yami interrupted, "…Why would you think otherwise?"

The Egyptian boy just gave an awkward smile.

"Sorry Yami, guess I'm just being jealous of Yugi and Kaiba."

His silly grin was playful, but Yami wasn't fooled. He moved forward and pulled Malik down closer, placing a comforting kiss to his forehead, much the same way he'd done to him not long ago.

"Don't EVER…doubt your importance in my life…" He whispered, making sure the boy was looking him in the eye as he said it, "My relationship with you is only different from what I share with Yugi and Kaiba…it's of absolutely no less importance to me."

He gave a light smirk.

"I still expect to spent time with my best friend even if I resolve things with Kaiba, understand?"

It may have only been a few words, but the soft smile that appeared showed his friend had needed that small assurance. After a fleeting moment, he stood straight, looking like his normal self again as he plopped the chocolate in his mouth.

"Sir, the program is ready to go."

"Alright, everyone ready?" Akio asked.

"Let's do it." Yami confirmed, handing the box over to him.

'_If this works…will we…?'_

Yami recalled the first time he'd heard that sound, and the pain that it had caused him. But more so, he could hear Seto's scream of pain echoing in his ears, and that was far more painful.

"Yami? You alright?" Yugi asked, tugging his sleeve.

"Everyone…I mean, those not coming with us…I…I think you should go…"

"What?" Was the echoed reply.

"Just for now, until this part is over." Yami explained.

"Hun, we're not going anywhere." Mai stated.

"We're all in this together." Shizuka agreed.

"Yami how can you expect us to…"

"Mokuba please…" The past life pharaoh cut off the boy, "…_you_ know why I ask this."

Mokuba stared as he obviously wanted to argue, but his shaking body showed he understood. He'd been there last time…if this worked, he knew what was going to happen.

"E-everyone…come…come with me…"He finally spoke, his voice attempting to be strong.

"But we…"

"Move it! We'll come right back, now out!"

No one looked happy about it, and even Isis gave into her fear just enough to embrace her brother for a moment. Malik returned the hug, his grip firm, trying to reassure his sister.

One by one, they exited the room, and before he walked out last, Mokuba stopped in the doorway, staring back firmly at those who'd remained.

"You better come back…and I mean every last one of you." He ordered, "Bring my brother home Yami…and Yugi? Bring Yami home, ok?"

"Count on it." Yugi answered with a wink and thumbs up.

Mokuba didn't answer or even smile, but gave a tiny nod before he left, the door sliding shut behind him.

"Akio…" Yami addressed, "…I just remembered you weren't here the first time either…please don't freak out, alright?"

"I can't promise anything Yami, but I'll try."

"What's there to freak out about Yami?" Malik asked.

His question wasn't in anyway light or sarcastic.

"Everyone, thankyou for agreeing to come…I can't thank you enough…" Yami answered, desperate to get that off his chest, "Listen to me. If this works, what you feel won't be pleasant, but I think the trick is to not fight it. The last time this happened, it felt as if my mind was being pulled out of my head…I've always thought it was ridiculous to think of it like that, but now I think maybe that was exactly the way to describe it."

"Let's just see if this works and we can figure out descriptions later." Bakura said impatiently.

"We're ready Yami, for whatever happens." Ryou assured him.

"Whether that's writhering in severe pain, or standing here like a bunch of goofballs." Malik joked with a wink.

Yami was glad for it, he needed the drop of light-heartedness.

"Alright guys, we can't access the pods but we have connection to Seto's virtual world, so one last check, are you all ready?" Akio asked, a grave tone to his voice.

Like Mokuba, he was trying to be braver than he felt.

The group nodded to him, and stood together. Seto's cousin breathed in and out deeply, trying to compose himself for what lay ahead.

"Activate the program and monitor both the virtual world and the passage way you found!" He ordered.

Yami watched as the scientists reacted almost as promptly as if Kaiba himself had given the order. He suddenly found himself pulling Yugi close as he felt a horrible anger at himself.

'_Aibou…I'm glad to have you with me…but I hate that you may feel what I did that night…I beg you…please don't scream…not you…I couldn't bear to hear that.'_

He tensed as the horrible ringing sound he recalled began playing through the speakers. It was seriously irritating, and hurt the ears. He felt Malik's hand on his shoulder, the boy obviously seeking just a bit of comfort from his nerves.

And then the hand clenched sharply, and he heard Malik gasp loudly behind him. He closed his eyes as He then heard Bakura hiss fiercely, and Ryou ask him if he was alright, the question being cut off halfway when the smaller boy let out his own cry of pain.

Yami clutched Yugi to him tightly just as he felt his own head burst with pain.

"Don't fight it!" He managed to croak out, feeling Yugi tense and shake in pain.

It was impossible not to remember the last time, and the pain he'd seen from his favourite brunette.

'_Seto…'_

Working with him…staring into the sapphires as they fought together…finding strength just from knowing he was there…

'_Seto…I'll stay…I'll stay strong for you…so…you stay strong for me…I'll find you…and I will free you!'_

The last words were familiar…like from a memory or a dream…but he could only spare them a sad glance before turning back to the pain, and letting it embrace him.

He wasn't sure if he screamed, or if he'd heard others scream as the ringing peaked, before it and everything else was swallowed whole by darkness.

* * *

_Whoo! Close...was afraid I wasn't going to get this done before work...lol...left time for absolutely nothing else, but that's fine by me ^-^_

_Ok, fair warning...even though this chapter came pretty easy to me, I can say with certainty that the next few chapters won't...:( I will do my very best, but please bare with me...I've known for a long time that the next part was going to be the hardest to write, but I will figure it out, and however long it takes...I will update asap!_

_Thanks for reading! Reviews are loved and constructive critisism welcome! :)_


	20. Chapter 20

_*Whimpers*...is it done...?_

_Ok, so originally, it was once again an assignment and my other fanfic that got in the way of this one...after that, the first half of this chapter almost wrote itself :)...however, the second half was murder on my brain! I really hope it's come out alright...I'm fairly happy with it._

_Originally...I was going to write out a whole large chapter, and split it into two...however, I found the perfect spot to split it as I was writing, so this is out sooner than I thought :) the original second half will be in progress asap (though not for a bit yet sowwy..)._

_Note that any cards/monsters mentioned in this chapter...the first time they're mentioned, their names are in itallics...but not any time after that...not entirely sure why I chose to do it this way, but in any case, it's not a typo (I'm sure there'll be enough of those already! XD)_

_*taps chin* I think that's everything...alright, then please enjoy! :D_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of it's characters. I also do not own any cards/monsters mentioned in this chapter...all I own is Akio and anything mentioned in previous chapters._

* * *

_Chapter 20:_

He could feel what he assumed to be the wind upon his face, and he listened as he could hear leaves rustling.

It was hard to tell if he was awake or asleep, but a sudden wet touch to his cheek made him curious enough to open his eyes.

He was laying in the shade of a large tree, the grass beneath tickling his skin.

The wet touch came again, and he turned his head, startled when he met bright red eyes.

The little creature yelped and jumped back.

"What are you?" Yami groaned as he sat up slowly, and took in his surroundings.

He was sitting in a small clearing within a forest.

'_I don't recognise this place, did it work?'_

He glanced around as the little purple creature ran over to where someone else was passed out in the grass.

"Yugi!"

He stood and darted to his Hikari. The cat-like creature…which had been licking the boys face…scooted over as he knelt down.

"Yugi, can you hear me? Open your eyes Hikari."

He gently shook his Aibou, calling him until there was a soft moan of disapproval.

"Yami?" The boy mumbled, opening a bright eye, "_You're _waking_ me _up? What's wrong with this picture?"

Yami chuckled in relief, and helped him sit up.

"Where are we?"

"Hopefully where we were aiming for…"

"AAHHH!"

They looked around at the cry. Malik was laying on the other side of the clearing, looking up in fright at the creature sitting on his chest.

"Relax Malik; it's only a duel monster."

"Not like any I've seen…" The startled boy answered as it jumped off him.

"I feel like I've seen it somewhere before, but I can't remember…" Yami mumbled.

"You said Kaiba showed you a couple of cards yet to be released to the public right? Maybe it was one of those?"

"Perhaps."

"Well regardless, nice to know we're alive…or that we appear to be anyway…" Malik sighed as he stood up, "Say, if we had to eat those chocolates to get here, where was yours Yami? I didn't see you eat one."

"I ate the one Frank dropped at the police station. I had it whilst we were moving Kaiba from the hospital to the mansion," Yami shrugged.

His friend raised an eyebrow.

"You kept that? Wouldn't it have been melted and gross?"

"I kept it in suitable conditions, and I couldn't be certain that there'd be any others before we got back, could I?" Yami frowned.

"Uhh…well yeah…" Malik admitted awkwardly, "A-anyway…Where's Bakura and Ryou?"

"Right here."

They turned to see their friends step out from behind a couple of trees.

"Thank goodness we weren't separated." Yugi said cheerfully.

"Yes, but what now?" Bakura questioned as he crossed his arms.

"We start searching," Yami answered.

"For Kaiba, or a way out of this forest?" Malik replied.

"We might not know where Kaiba is, but if this is where we landed, I highly doubt Noah will be keeping him at the front door," Ryou added.

"Do you think he already knows we're here?"

"Most likely Aibou, and if by some chance he doesn't, then it won't be long until he does. Either way, there's no accomplishment in standing here. Let's get moving."

A quiet sound directed their attention back to the tiny duel monster. It was smiling up at them as it swung its tail back and forward casually. It lifted its head to the sky, and abruptly let out a short cry.

The sound burst through the air like a sonic wave.

"What's it doing?" Malik cried as they all covered their ears.

"I'd venture a guess at calling to someone!" Yami answered as another cry burst free.

"Obviously, but should we be concerned or not?" Bakura growled in annoyance at the volume.

They'd all jumped back with a yelp before really realising why.

A large beam of light had shot down from the sky, and landed right between the little group.

The silhouette of a large figure appeared within the beam, and when the light shrunk away, they found a tall, grand looking warrior standing before them.

"I…isn't that…?" Yugi stuttered.

"_Gilford the Lightning_," Yami finished.

The duel monster looked over his shoulder, before turning to face them. Yami shifted closer to Yugi protectively.

"Yami! Thank goodness. I was beginning to think we wouldn't find you."

"Yami…are you acquainted with this duel monster?" Malik questioned, before looking to the little purple creature as it jumped in his lap.

"My first question was going to be if anyone else just heard him speak, but I guess that's irrelevant now…" Ryou muttered.

"It must have taken us at least twenty minutes to locate you, but it worked. Looks like you all got here safely."

"Akio?" Yami blurted out, suddenly recognising the voice.

"Oh right! Yeah, it's me, sorry for startling you."

"You followed us here? I thought you were staying behind."

"I did. This is just sort of an avatar, like in a normal video game."

"So you're still in the real world?" Ryou asked as he stood.

"Yep. This is just a program used for monitoring the virtual world. Seto generally uses it when he can't use the machines, like we can't right now."

"Uh, question!" Malik interjected as the little creature jumped on his shoulder, and nuzzled his face, "Do you know what this thing is?"

"Oh, that's just a search program. I had it locate you on the Kaiba corp. system and then call me here."

Malik cautiously pulled the creature off his shoulder and held it out in front of him. It's ears twitched playfully.

"This little thing is a search program?" He said dumbfounded, but his expression suggested he was getting past his initial jumpiness of the creature.

"Seto designed a lot of the programs to blend into the game so that it didn't interrupt players as much. That little fella is called _Ruby Carbuncle_."

Yami drew in a breath, and touched his forehead as if to say _'of course'_.

"I _have _seen it before. Kaiba showed me the designs for it once, though he said it wasn't going to be released for a long time."

"He was right. It's apparently going to be part of a large collection of creatures…uummmm…crystal beasts I think they were called?"

Akio fumbled a bit, "In any case! It seems as we expected. We can access the virtual world, even if the pods themselves are still offline. I can communicate with you this way."

"If that's so, then any idea where we should start searching?" Bakura questioned.

"At the moment, nothing for certain, but it shouldn't be too hard to find Seto. This little hidden world of Noah's is relatively small to the original creation, and there's some strange readings from the central area of the land. I can't get any clues as to what's there."

"Sounds like you may have found Noah's lair." Yami answered, gritting his teeth.

"My thoughts exactly. That's another reason for using this character; I can see everything you can, and I need to know what we're facing."

"I'm counting on you Akio," Yami said, his words true, "Lead the way."

* * *

"This is too amusing Seto, I'd forgotten how quick thinking your precious Yami is," Noah watched on as the intruders began their journey through the forest, "It's almost like watching a band of brave knights journeying to save their fair princess."

He smirked down at Seto, who was still crouching by the seat, panting lightly. He didn't move until he felt Noah's fingers shift through his hair again, and pulled away with a sharp hiss.

"Give it a rest Seto, you're only exhausting yourself."

Noah pulled at the chain on his wrist, but Seto only pulled back, the angry determination on his face quickly changing Noah's smirk to a frown.

He'd expected resistance from the CEO, but this was getting frustrating.

"You know it doesn't hurt if you don't resist…now come!"

The chain around Seto's neck tightened heavily, making the CEO gasp for air. Seto kept struggling against the chain even as it was suffocating him.

It wasn't until his vision started to blur that Noah finally managed to pull him forward. He grasped the CEO's head tightly, not letting him pull away as his fingers slid into the chestnut hair.

Seto flinched painfully as the tips of Noah's fingers began to glow a dark blue, whilst tiny dots of paler blue travelled from his finger tips to his knuckles, before disappearing, as if absorbed.

"What…what now…?" He breathed as the chain finally loosened again.

"You may not like to call yourself their friend Seto, but you still know more about them than I do, and I need to know how to deal with these intruders."

* * *

"Hey Akio, just how far away is this place?"

"Still a fair way, but it won't be too long Malik."

"Malik, you do realise that's just a computer program?" Bakura questioned.

Malik blushed as he indicated to ruby Carbuncle, as if he'd somehow missed the fact he was now carrying it in his arms.

"S-so? If carrying it around was a crime, I wouldn't be able to!" He retorted indignantly, though the red lingered on his cheeks.

"Just let him carry it Bakura, it makes him look far cuter." Yami teased.

Malik stuck his tongue out, but there was a playful grin on his face.

"It is curious though…"

"What do you mean Akio?"

"Even though it's possible to interact with the creatures of the game, this is the first one I've known to be physically touchable."

"That's right. Remember the last time Noah trapped us in the virtual world? We all freaked out because we thought Kaiba was about to get sliced by a T-Rex, but its claws went straight through him like an illusion," Yugi agreed.

"Perhaps this one was an exception because it's friendly?" Ryou suggested as he stroked Ruby Carbuncle, smiling when it made a happy sound.

"Perhaps it's Noah's work?" Yami said in a less cheerful tone.

"I can't really say, but as Bakura said, it's a search program, so there's no harm in letting it tag along," Akio answered.

"Malik's not really giving it a choice!" Yugi teased.

He ducked around Yami with a cheeky grin as Malik frowned at him.

Yami couldn't help but to grin along with his Hikari.

The giant warrior leading them suddenly came to a stop, and signalled for them to halt.

"Wait! I think something's coming…"

"How do you kno…"

A loud roar made them all flinch, whilst trees in the forest ahead collapsed as a large shape broke through them.

The creature turned it's gaze towards the group as it hovered in the air.

"_Curse of Dragon_? This can't be good." Yugi mumbled in shock.

"Akio, is it just coincidence that a monster with two thousand attack power just happened to turn up?" Bakura growled doubtfully.

"It's kinda hard to say…the computers show that there's duel monsters scattered all over the place, but as far as I can tell the rest of the monsters around here are a lot weaker. There shouldn't be any higher level monsters around this area."

"In other words, Noah had a hand in this?" Yami growled.

"I'd guess he moved it from one of the higher level regions. It did appear very suddenly."

"But how do we fight it?"

"You don't, I do."

Gilford the lightening ran forward and leapt into the air. With one slash of his sword, the dragon disintegrated.

"I know Gilford was the stronger monster, but wow…" Yugi admired.

The knight turned to them with a light smile.

"I guess when I called this a monitoring program, I should've said security program. Gilford the lightening is only my chosen avatar to blend in like Ruby Carbuncle. Unlike the real duel monster, I have infinite power."

"Oh, of course, in case there were any trouble makers playing the game." Ryou spoke up.

"You got it. Seto won't stand for unfair game play or rule breaking. It's also pretty good for glitches like monsters not staying in their designated area," Akio joked, "Anyway, shale we press on?"

* * *

"Interesting…" Noah mumbled as he watched the screens, though he was far from amused, "I must've over looked this program somehow."

He watched as the knight on the screen continued to cut down any monster than came before the group. At first he'd found it amusing to just throw any monster at them, but when even the mighty _Red Eyes Black Dragon _fell, he'd decided the game was over.

Wincing a bit from the ache in his head, Seto smirked slightly at the males frustration.

Noah's gaze turned to him as he heard the edge of a chuckle.

"Amused Seto? I wouldn't get cocky if I were you."

He gripped the chestnut locks firmly, before waving his free hand through the air next to him. A long projection of a keyboard appeared, and he calmly moved his fingers over the keys.

"Infinite power is rather unfair after all, so let's even the score a little."

* * *

"Oh yeah! Another one bites the dust!" Malik cheered.

Ruby Carbuncle made a happy sound from where it had migrated to the top of his head.

"Not that I'm not having a blast, but this is constant. Is Noah the type to toy with others?" Akio asked.

"Even though he looks older now, he's nothing more than a child. Though in all honesty, I thought he'd gotten better before we left the virtual world last time." Yami answered.

He was feeling a bit calmer now since they were making progress.

"Whoa, here we go again," Akio alerted them as a bright light began glowing in their path.

A loud whiny made them jump as a horseman leapt out of the light.

"Aaaww, did it have to be _Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight_? He's one of my favourites."

"Not to sound harsh Akio, but it's probably best not to be picky right now," Ryou stated.

"Yeah I know, it's fine."

Gilford and Gaia squared off, and charged towards one another.

"I know he has infinite health, but this still looks dangerous when Gaia's on horse back." Ryou whispered.

"It'll only take one swing from Akio to destroy both." Bakura assured him.

"Forgive me Gaia!" Akio half joked, preparing to attack.

Just as he swung his sword though, four tiny pinpoints of light appeared, and from each came a small ball of what appeared to be fluff.

One pink, one blue, one red and one orange…

"_SCAPE GOAT_!" Yami yelled.

It was too late. Akio saw them, but couldn't stop his attack as his sword sliced through the pink goat.

"A trap? Why on earth…?"

With him distracted, Gaia thrusted his lance into Gilford's shoulder.

The knight stumbled back, but it was Gaia who disappeared.

"Yami, what was the point of that attack?" Yugi whispered, his voice serious.

"I'm not sure. Noah isn't a weak duellist, and using scape goat like that proved he's getting serious," Yami answered.

"But why attack an infinite monster? It just makes scape goat pointless."

"No, there has to be some relevance behind it. Noah wouldn't waste a move like that."

"Hey Akio, take care of the fluff balls and let's keep going!" Malik laughed.

"Ok, but I almost feel bad for them!" Akio laughed back.

He raised his blade, but just as he was about to bring it back down, he froze with a startled sound.

"Akio?" Yugi called.

The knight's arms were twitching, until the sword suddenly dropped to the ground with a loud clank. He hunched over, gripping his body, looking and sounding like he was having trouble moving.

"Akio, what's wrong?" Yami asked.

"Oh no…no no no…" Akio grunted.

"Hey, what's…" Malik began, stepping forward.

He halted as the knight swung an arm back to stop him.

"V-V…VIRUS!"

No sooner did the word leave the knight that his body began to glow madly.

"My power level…it's dropping rapidly…I don't have infinite power anymore!"

"Gaias attack!" Yami yelled.

"It was meant to infect Gilford, not destroy him. Noah had to use scape goat to make sure Gaia wasn't killed before he did his job!" Bakura finished.

"What's Gilford's usual attack power?"

"Twenty eight hundred…"

"Tell that to Noah!" Akio interrupted, "My power's dropped below one thousand!"

"Why's he going so far? Isn't one thousand low enough?" Malik protested.

"He doesn't just want to beat Akio, he wants to devastate him. It's a show of power," Bakura answered.

The scape goats burst apart into digital fragments and vanished, but another light void was appearing. Within it's depths, they could see a strange object glowing.

"Yami…don't tell me that's…" Yugi whispered.

"It is Hikari…" Yami answered, his voice just as shocked, "Akio! Get up, that's the magic card _Monster Reborn_!"

"And here I'm usually excited to see that card come up in a duel…" Akio muttered sarcastically.

A great roar sounded, and a familiar form came back through the void.

Red eyes looked down upon Akio vengefully.

"Yeah, glad to see you to…" Akio muttered.

"Akio hurry!"

It's no good. He's lowered my power so much that I can't even stand…"

Yami and Malik quickly ran to help, but again he signalled for them to stop.

"This program's infected. Remember, when you're in here, your basically not much more than a program either. If you touch me, the virus might spread to you."

"But we can't just…" Ryou began.

"GET BACK!" Bakura yelled and pulled his alter ego back.

The dragon was lifting its head as light was beginning to form in its mouth.

"Ruby Carbuncle! Come here!"

The cat like creature leapt from Malik's head and dashed to Akio. It leapt into the air as the knight raised his hand, which clamped onto the tiny creatures head.

There was a tiny spark between their contact, before a small blast threw Ruby Carbuncle back to the ground.

"Leave it be Malik!" Akio warned when the boy tried to pick it up.

Not another word made it from him as the dragon fired the energy ball from its mouth, and Gilford the lightening disappeared into the blast.

"AKIO!"

* * *

"DAMN IT!"

Akio tore the virtual headgear off, and glared at the screens in frustration.

"What happened in there?" Mai asked.

"Noah's infected the program for monitoring the game…I can't protect them now."

"But what's going to happen to them?" Isis questioned from where she was holding her brother's unconscious form.

"I'm doing my best. We've got to get the pods back up and running. Mokuba, I've got to focus on trying to help them, can you keep an eye on the repair progress?"

"No problem!" Mokuba answered and jumped into the chair by his cousin.

Just as he pulled on a set of headphones, something flashed on the control board.

"Oh what now?" He complained as he hit a switch.

"_Sir, there's a group here saying you're expecting them."_ A guard spoke.

"Are there four of them? And is one a goofy blonde guy?"

"_I heard that!" _Yelled a familiar voice.

"Let them in immediately, and give them directions to the control room!"

"_Understood sir."_

* * *

Ruby Carbuncle struggled to it's feet as the red eyes black dragon turned back to them.

"So guys, what do we do now?" Malik stumbled.

"I don't think you need two guesses to figure that one out." Bakura answered harshly.

"RUN!"

Yami's cry broke the frozen fear over them all, and they turned and ran.

The dragon pursued, another blast already charging within it's jaws.

Yami grabbed Yugi's hand and pulled him sideways into the cover of the trees. Malik was close behind them, with Bakura and Ryou trailing at the back. They all reached shelter, but a loud cry from Malik made them stop.

"Ruby!"

The little creature was still trying to keep up with them, whilst the dragon had set its sight upon the animal.

"Malik stop!" Yami called as his friend raced out.

"Ryou!"

Bakura's cry was shockingly panicked as his Hikari ran after his friend.

Malik scooped up Ruby Carbuncle, just as Red Eyes attacked.

He leapt away from the blast, though the sheer force still sent him flying straight into Ryou.

"Sorry, you ok?" Malik groaned as he got up.

"Yeah, no problem."

Ryou offered a quick smile, but as he tried to stand, he flinched sharply.

"What is it?"

"My…my foot."

"What? Don't tell me you can get real injuries in this game…"

"If it wasn't possible then we wouldn't be running. Keep moving!" Yami yelled, indicating to where the dragon was breaking through the trees.

Before it could even be questioned, Bakura grabbed Ryou, and literally threw him onto his back.

Ryou screamed in fright, and clung to his alter ego's shoulders. The shock past quick enough though, and he looked to Bakura as the taller boy began running with him.

"Didn't Yugi say these virtual creatures couldn't hurt us?" Malik spoke up.

"You want to test that theory?" Yami retorted.

"Either way…do we all agree NOT to tell my sister the extent of our _"excitement" _in here?"

"Agreed."

* * *

"Why is it so much to ask for a taxi driver who actually knows where he's going?"

Jou stormed into the control room, though his anger died the instant he saw five of his friends unconscious on the floor.

"What's going on here?" Honda demanded.

"First Kaiba, now everyone else is dropping out?" Otogi added.

Anzu on the other hand, was speechless as her eyes fell to Yugi and Yami.

Mai came to her rescue when she saw the horror gripping the girl.

"It's ok Anzu sweety, they're not hurt, and we know where they are."

She indicated to the large screen where game style images of their friends were moving through the forest.

For half a second it seemed Anzu was going to calm down, until she noticed the dragon image following behind her friends.

"You mean they're just in Kaiba's game? Then can't you just bring them back like normal?" Honda asked.

"And if I could, I wouldn't have tried it by now…WHY?" Akio growled.

Everyone was taken back by the iciness of his tone, even though his frustration was understandable.

"I guess he really is Kaiba's cousin." Otogi muttered.

"We didn't get them in by the usual way, and right now we can't get them out the usual way. How's repairs coming a long Mokuba?"

"They're still barely at forty Percent Akio."

"That's not even close enough to consider risking it. They're just going to have to try to hang on for a bit longer."

"So how DID they get in there?" Jou asked.

"There's something in those chocolates that when combined with a certain sound file, ends up transporting one's mind to the virtual world." Akio answered, nodding towards the box sitting on a bench close by, "Did we get an analysis of those chocolates yet?"

"We've found a foreign substance within the item sir, we're working now to figure out what it is," A scientist answered.

"Not trying to pressure or anything…But you've got to get that done as quickly as possible!"

"Y…yes sir."

Jou plucked one of the chocolates from the box, looking at it sceptically.

"Is that true Mokuba?"

"As unbelievable as it may sound. Would you mind bringing that box over here? It's important to both Niisan and me. I keep worrying it's gonna get knocked over there."

"No problem," Jou answered as he put the box in front of Mokuba, "So what's this sound file?"

"A really irritating ringing sound. I can put in on quietly if you want to hear?"

"Sounds good."

* * *

"Hear anything?"

"No, but it's probably still out there."

"Strange, I guess it can't fit in the cave."

"Or maybe this is a safe point. You know how video games often have areas you can't be attacked?"

"Trust you to suggest something like that."

"What?"

"I think maybe he's right…but if this is Noah's world, then it seems rather odd that we could find shelter."

The group had managed to reach a cave, and huddled at the back, watching the entrance should their pursuer follow them inside.

"I know it's good we're safe for now, but we can't stay here forever," Yugi spoke.

"But we can't go out there without a way to protect ourselves," said Ryou.

"How's your foot doing?"

"It's ok, I think it's just bruised."

He looked up to his alter ego.

"Uh, Bakura? Thankyou."

Bakura didn't actually answer, but gave a solid nod as he looked to him, before turning his attention back to the entrance.

He suddenly flinched back, making the others look around.

Specks of light hardly bigger than dust balls drifted into the cave, bobbing along as if floating on water.

The five stood ready in case their so called safe zone had been breached. Malik glared one down as it floated up to him, at least until it zipped around straight into his ear, making him yelp and jump about.

Ryou tried to avoid another as it came at him, but he stumbled as his foot throbbed, and the light zoomed around his head and into his other ear.

Bakura caught one in his hand, but another took it's chance when he shifted to catch Ryou, and found it's mark.

Yugi and Yami kept their hands clamped over their ears, but the specks were targeting them now, buzzing around like insects.

Yugi tried shaking them away, but a couple were tickling his nose. Eventually he couldn't take it, and sneezed loudly.

His hands shifted just enough that one of the lights slipped past.

"Ah! Get out!"

"Yugi!"

Yami's gaze turned to Yugi. His hands were still covering his ears, but a light speck tried to squeeze through a gap in his fingers.

He growled and clutched at it, feeling it dissolve in his palm. He quickly covered his ear again as those that remained circled him.

"They're not targeting us anymore!" Malik yelled, and grabbed a couple of the lights in both hands, crushing them all.

The others followed his lead, and crushed every dot of light they could catch. Eventually, the last one was smashed as Yugi clapped his hands over it.

"Arigato minasan." Yami mumbled, finally dropping his hands.

"What were those?" Ryou whispered, holding his own ear.

"Kami it feels irritating!" Malik groaned.

"It tickles like mad." Yugi agreed.

"It seems that may be all they were designed for though." Bakura added, letting his own ear go, "It's best we keep moving. This just proved we can't stay anywhere too long."

"Agreed, we'll check the area as best we ca…"

As they were talking, a single, tiny speck of light crept out from where it had been hiding in the back of Yami's collar, and knowing it's chance had come, it dashed around into his ear.

Yami cried out at the surprise, and dug at his ear as a strange, fuzziness filled it.

"Kuso!" He growled furiously.

"_For Kami's sake will you stop fighting it already?"_

Each of them froze as a voice yelled in their heads.

"_It's not going to hurt you! It's just a way of communication!"_

"Akio?"

"_Yes. I'm sorry to Surprise you AGAIN, but I didn't have any way to let you know."_

"You can still reach us?"

"_Yes Ryou, I can communicate and keep an eye on you from the outside, but I won't be able to protect you like before, the program is too infected."_

"But how do we move on then? We can't take on red eyes."

"_Heh heh…have you forgotten the game you're in Malik? Each of you, hold up your right arms."_

Looking confused, they did as they were told, and watched in awe as digital particles began appearing and joining together around their arms. They formed long shapes, and finally with a bright glow, a duel disk sat proudly upon their limbs.

"_This is the best I can do for you right now guys. Seto has a fair amount of data on each of your decks, so they should be almost accurate."_

"Why am I not surprised in the least?" Bakura said with a dry smirk as he checked his deck.

"That's Kaiba for ya," Malik replied as he checked his own cards, before frowning slightly, "I'm missing a couple of traps, can you do something about that at all Akio?"

"_I can try; just let me know which ones you need. Anyone else missing anything?"_

"I'm short a monster and a magic card." Ryou answered.

"I'm missing a monster to." Yugi added.

"Hikari, would that by chance be this one…?"

Yami held up the card in question, his surprise reflected by Yugi.

Since separating, their decks had slightly altered, and though still very similar, were no longer identical. Yugi had kindly offered to share some of his rarer cards with Yami, and had even gone as far as to offer him the _Magician of Black Chaos_ card.

Despite his love of the monster, Yami had declined, telling his Aibou it needed to stay with him.

"I guess he wasn't sure which of us to give it to." Yugi chuckled.

Yami recalled the time Kaiba had given him the little figurine of the same monster, and somehow he knew this wasn't coincidence.

"Still, it seems pointless when you're the one with the card needed to summon it. You'd better take it Hikari."

He held the card out to Yugi, but as the boy reached for it, it glowed brightly, and shot out of his hand, back into his deck.

"Strange…let's try it the other way around then…" Yugi said, and instead held out the magic card _Black Magic Ritual_.

But the same thing happened the moment Yami tried to take it.

"I guess we can't trade cards…"

'_Sorry guys, looks like Seto was pretty strict about your decks. I can alter some of the cards, but many of them are locked in. You're the only one who can use that card Yami.'_

Yami looked between his and Yugi's decks. He loved the card, but Magician of Black Chaos had a very strict summoning condition…how could he possibly summon it without the one card that would allow him to?

"Well, I guess other than that, my deck is fine…"

"As is mine." Bakura finished.

'_Alright, then hold your arms back up and tell me which ones you're missing, and I'll see what I can do.'_

Five minutes later, the group cautiously stepped out of the cave, scanning everything within sight.

'_It's alright, there's nothing around you for the time, just don't let your guard down. However, whilst we have a breather…Malik…'_

Said boy halted and looked up.

'_I thought I told you not to touch Ruby Carbuncle!'_

"But…" Malik hesitated, looking to the creature still in his arms.

'_It touched Gilford the lightening whilst he was infected. I gave it directions so it can lead you, but there's a high chance it's now infected as well!'_

"Maybe that's why it couldn't run very fast…" Malik mumbled curiously.

'_Then put it down! If you get infected, I don't know if I'll be able to help…'_

"So…if you know I'm holding it, then you can still see us?"

'_Yes. Well, a sort of video game image version…but none the less…'_

"Well in that case…"

Malik raised his face to the sky, and stuck his tongue out. Yami had to bite back a laugh as the boy walked away stubbornly.

* * *

"Malik…" Isis sighed as she watched the rude gesture from the animated image of her brother, "What am I going to do with that brother of mine?"

Rishid stood by her, a light smile contrasting her worried expression.

"He'll be fine."

"I know, but he could try listening a bit more often."

Akio rubbed his temples where he stood, and readjusted his headphones.

"Alright, fine Malik, but you'll probably have to put it down anyway so it can lead you."

'_Okay okay…hey, can you tell Isis and Rishid that I'm ok?'_

Akio smiled back to them, and they smiled back, since it was now possible for them to hear him over the speakers.

"Sure, no problem."

* * *

"You heard him Malik."

"Yeah yeah…"

Malik put Ruby Carbuncle down, watching as it's bright red eyes flashed, before it ran in a circle twice.

"Guess it wants us to follow." Yugi said with a shrug.

The group followed after it, until it led them out of the forest to an open field, where they even found a dirt path.

'_Be on your guard guys. Whether or not Noah interferes, this area is at a higher level than the forest, and you're out in the open.'_

"What level are we talking?" Yami asked.

'_Level five to six monsters. Speaking of which, I think you've got company.'_

They became aware that Ruby Carbuncle had stopped, and was giving a high warning sound.

The familiar void of light appeared, and from it came a small blue dragon that hovered in the air.

"_Spirit Ryu_? But it's only a level four monster." Yugi blinked in surprise.

"You won't hear me complaining," Malik smirked, raising his arm.

The duel disk clicked into life, and Malik drew his cards.

"Perfect. I summon _Ground Attacker Bugroth_, and place two cards face down. This may not exactly be an official duel, but I guess I can pretend it is, which means I'll have to wait to attack. Bummer…"

The Spirit Ryu screeched and flew towards his monster.

"I don't however…have to wait to defend! I reveal my trap card, _Negate Attack_! Sorry Spirit Ryu, but that means zero damage to me!"

The little dragon stopped midway in its assault, before returning to its original position.

"This really is much more like a real duel than when Akio was here," Bakura noted.

"It certainly makes a difference not having infinite power as a shield. But level four monsters shouldn't be a problem," Ryou agreed.

"Now Bugroth, destroy Spirit Ryu!"

Malik's beast raced forward to attack, but whilst the boy seemed confident, Yami couldn't help an uneasy feeling about the move.

And then it struck him.

Hadn't he seen Kaiba use Spirit Ryu a number of times in battle?

"Malik wait!"

A large duel card appeared in the air behind Spirit Ryu then, before dissolving away almost as fast as it had come.

However, Spirit Ryu gained a pale blue aura, and grew quite large, just before Malik's attack hit.

Bugroth smashed into pieces as it was destroyed, and Malik looked on in horror as the life points on his duel disk dropped.

"What happened? My monster was stronger than spirit Ryu!"

"It _was_." Yami corrected, "That other card we saw, it had to have been a dragon type monster. When Spirit Ryu enters combat, you can discard a dragon type to raise it's attack and defence by one thousand."

"So what? Are you saying we're not just dealing with monsters now?"

'_Guys, I'm so sorry, I misjudged the game. This isn't simply a battle of the strongest…this is a strategy game. After that little bout, I'm going to guess the battles must have set combinations for the duellist to figure out,'_ Akio spoke.

"Malik watch out!" Ryou yelled as Spirit Ryu attacked again.

"Activate trap card, _Sakuretsu armour_! When a monster declares an attack, they're destroyed!" Malik quickly blurted out.

And just like that, Spirit Ryu burst apart and dissolved into the air. Malik waited in case anything more followed, before groaning heavily and sinking to his knees. Ruby Carbuncle ran up to him, but he just gave it a reassuring smile and patted its head.

"Whilst I realise Noah doesn't want us to reach him, something about that just didn't seem right." Bakura stated.

"You're right. I don't think Noah had anything to do with that. Akio, you said strategy was part of the game, correct?" Yami asked.

'_It looks that way, though why Noah would have set strategies in this world of his is unclear, especially putting a more basic strategy like that in a higher level area. Malik was only caught off guard because we weren't expecting more than a fight with a monster.'_

"We should've been ready for anything after that Gaia and scape goat combination earlier. Do you think that was already a set strategy?"

'_No doubt about it. This is getting really confusing, but I'm going to guess that Noah can chose between set strategies, and that particular one was just the perfect combination for infecting Gilford, so he uploaded the virus to Gaia.'_

"But if this is Noah's world, then why can't he just create any combination he wants? Why does he have to pick between pre-made ones?"

'_I haven't figured that out yet, but…huh…what the…?'_

There was a short silence, before…

'_NO! OH NO NO NO!'_

"Akio! What's going on?" Yami called.

But there was no response, as if the boy had just disappeared.

* * *

"NO! HOW THE HELL DID I LET THIS HAPPEN?"

"Niisan!"

"What the heck just happened? And what in Ra's name is that sound?"

A quiet ringing filled the room, as Akio was on his knees, hunched over as he cradled Mokuba's unconscious form against his chest.

Next to him, Shizuka was crying over the body of her brother, as he lay sprawled where he'd fallen.

Upon the ground, the last two pieces of golden wrapping lay empty and scrunched, their purpose served.

* * *

_Aaaannnnd done! XD_

_*giggles* Sakuretsu armour is one of my most favourite trap cards, I couldn't resist using it! ^^_

_I didn't want to say straight out that there was dueling in the chapter, hense why I didn't say this earlier..._

_It's been a goal of mine from the beginning to keep the game of duel monsters integrated in this fanfic as much as I could, hense why it's been mentioned here and there. A particular reason it took so very long to write this chapter was because if I was going to have dueling, I was determined to follow the rules of the game as closely as possible...however, I myself am a pretty lousy duelist, and so I struggle with strategy and remembering every rule. Thus, if by chance I've missed anything I should've...or I do miss anything in future chapters, I'm really sorry. I did (and will do) my best._

_Well, with that all said and done, please excuse me...*flees for her life before a certain queen sicks her army of kuribohs on her for ending the chapter in such a way* XD_

_LOL! I hope it was enjoyable, and I'll update asap!_

_Reviews are loved as always! I'd really like to know what people thought about this particular chapter._


	21. Chapter 21

_*screams* IT'S DONE!_

_*cries*...I can't believe how long this took! I was beginning to think my will power wouldn't get me through this! T_T_

_ehem...ok...well anyway, I can't apologise enough for the wait, but I descided ages back that it would be easier to write out this entire section in one go rather than chapter by chapter...this is the first half of the section, and the next chapter will hopefully be out in a few days. This half is very long unfortunately (so best read it when you've got plenty of time on your hands ^^'), but I hope it was worth it, it was the most difficult half to right._

_Some of the time that it took me to do this WAS justified...but for the times I was lazy, or experiencing horrible mental blocks, sorry for that._

_I want to thank everyone who's kept up with this story over it's long period of updating._

_In any case, enough from me, if I think of anything else, I will mention it later. Please enjoy!_

_NOTE: This chapter (and the next) do flicker between the different situations a fair bit...I think it's easy enough to get, but if not, let me know...also, a number of you might want to kill me by the end of this chapter ^^'...ehem...you'll understand why..._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of it's characters. Any cards mentioned in this chapter are real and do not belong to me, only any previously mentioned characters and the plot of this fanfic are mine._

* * *

**Chapter 21:**

"Akio! Akio!"

"What happened Yami?"

"He's just not answering, can anyone else hear anything?"

"Nothing. It's like he just cut off."

"Do you think Noah managed to infect that program to?"

"No, but I can't for the life of me figure out what Akio's up to."

Yami walked around aimlessly, grunting in frustration.

"How can we move on without Akio? He could warn us of danger," Ryou said.

Malik looked to Yami, who seemed on the verge of screaming.

"Yami…let's go."

Said male stopped his rampage and looked around.

"We have Ruby Carbuncle to guide us, and now we have a way to defend ourselves, so let's keep going."

He held his hand out to his best friend, who exhaled deeply, managing to force out most of his tension.

He accepted his friend's hand, and just held it firmly for a while, before they released and began walking.

Ruby Carbuncle just waved its tail patiently…though perhaps with less strength…before it took the lead again.

* * *

"Seto will never forgive me for this…I should've never taken my eyes off of him!"

"Akio, you didn't know he'd do it," Anzu tried to be comforting.

"I should've! I've seen how rebellious he's becoming, and he was desperate to go."

"Don't blame yourself man, at least we know where they are," Said Honda.

"Please don't give up Akio," Shizuka spoke up from where she was still holding Jous body, "They're counting on you. Please…please bring back my brother…"

Akio was still staring at the ground, but slowly his gaze shifted to the monitors, and then to the headphones on the ground.

He gripped Mokuba tightly against his chest, his body shaking.

"I promised long ago that I wouldn't give up on my family the way my parents gave up on me. I said I'd never just forget."

The boy glared up, and one could've sworn the furious, determined eyes were that of Kaiba himself.

"I was given a second chance at a family. I may've had no choice with my parents, but this time I won't let go!"

He stood and handed Mokuba to one of the guards.

"Take all of them to the virtual reality pods!"

"B-but sir…"

"That's not a suggestion! The pods will be up and running soon enough, now get going!"

Not sure what else to do, the guard called some of his co-workers, and they carried each of their unconscious friends out of the room.

"When you're done with that, move Kaiba himself to one of the pods as well!"

"But he's still injured…" Mai interjected.

"Then they can move him on a stretcher. Rishid managed to carry him out of the hospital without causing him more harm. His injuries are bad, but not serious enough that he can't be moved." Akio argued as he picked up the headphones and slipped them on.

He sat in front of the monitors, and adjusted the microphone.

"I'm sure wherever he is, Seto would just tell us to do the same thing if he could."

* * *

"Whoa!"

Yugi pointed to the sky over a range of hills, where two beams of light shot down from the clouds.

"It looks like the same light that brought Gilford to us. Maybe Akio found a way back in?" Malik suggested.

"I don't think so. I'm still not getting any answer from him. Besides, there were two this time; who could've joined him?"

"_No one."_

All five males jumped.

"What? Akio!" Yami shouted as he cupped his ear, "Where have you been? We've been calling to you!"

"_I'm sorry, I'm afraid I was careless, and I have to ask a favour of all of you. Mokuba and Jonouchi took the last of those chocolates, and just transported themselves into the virtual world."_

Yami felt his stomach drop, and each of them turned back to the mountains.

"We just saw two beams shoot from the sky," Ryou said.

"_That would've been them. I know I've already put you all in danger, but it looks like they've landed in a much higher level area than you did."_

"Why didn't they land in the same place?"

"_It's probably a random selection thing, most likely to add a bit of excitement…or in our case…frustration."_

"Do you think Noah can control it?"

"_It's confusing, but that's actually doubtful, otherwise he could've transported you anywhere he wanted. Listen, I'll try to get in contact with them and guide them the best I can, but could you head in their direction?"_

"Akio, you should know you don't need to ask such a thing," Yami assured him.

"And quite with the guilt talk…makes you sound pitiful," Bakura added gruffly as he began walking.

Ryou went to scold him, but just frowned and walked after him.

"_How's ruby carbuncle holding up Malik?"_

"I don't know, it was guiding us, but right now it's curled up in my arms instead of bouncing around."

"_The virus must be affecting it. Make sure it doesn't take more damage, or you'll lose it."_

"I don't get it. I mean I know Joukun is our friend, but why would he suddenly do that? Mokuba's understandable, but…" Ryou mumbled.

"If I'm to be honest, I'm glad he's there…" Yami sighed.

'_At least Mokuba isn't alone. Hold on both of you.'_

* * *

He savoured it.

Every last bit of shock and fear upon the CEO's face made Noahs smirk grow.

"This is certainly an interesting development, hey Seto?"

Kaibas eyes were locked to the screen, as he stared at the unconscious child laying amongst the rocks, his dark hair blowing around his face.

"Don't worry Seto, I won't let harm come to Mokuba, but it'll certainly be interesting to see where this goes, don't you think?"

Kaiba said nothing, his gaze dropping. His teeth clenched with the fury he had no other way of expelling.

* * *

"Hey, Mokuba, wake up!"

Jou shook the boy until he stirred.

"Joukun? Did we…?"

"Yeah, I'd say we made it," Jou answered as he pulled the boy up.

"Strange, this really does look just like the virtual world," Mokuba noted.

"Perhaps Noah was trying to make it blend in?"

"Even if that was his plan, my brother knows every inch of the virtual world he created. He should've noticed this place even if it's separated from the main game."

"Hey, look down there…" Jou carefully moved to the edge of the cliff they were on, "Looks like a bunch of duel monsters."

"Yeah, they're all earth types."

"Uh…will they attack us?"

"Well if things work the same here as in the normal game…we better get moving…a lot of them are higher level monsters."

"Right, Any idea where exactly we should go?"

"If we can get higher, we might be able to see something," Mokuba pointed to the mountain rising above them."

"You gotta be kidding me? I mean just look closer!" Jou shouted, as he pointed to dragons circling the mountain peak.

"Come on!" Mokuba said impatiently, "I doubt we'll have to go nearly so high to get a better view."

Jou grumbled as the boy began to climb.

"Fine, but I so didn't come here to get eaten alive or burnt to a crisp."

"Why _did _you come Joukun?" Mokuba asked as the teen began to follow him.

"Hey, my friends are in here to."

"I know. It's just that you and Niisan don't get along."

"Hm, you're right, we don't."

Mokuba looked to Jou in confusion as he climbed.

"Come on then, I'm already getting a better view this high up."

Mokuba caught hold of his focus, and continued after him.

* * *

A sad sound stirred from the creature in Malik's arms.

"Easy Ruby. I think it's getting worse guys."

"It's a program Malik."

"Don't be insensitive Bakura."

"_Since you're heading in a different direction for now, I'll put it through a quarantine program. Hopefully it'll be strong enough to keep leading after that. I'll try to guide you the best I can in the meantime."_

"Thanks Akio."

"_There's a fork in the path ahead, turn left and it'll lead you straight there."_

"Can we expect any trouble in particular?"

"_It's another random thing about the game Bakura, but the chance of having to fight is far less along the paths than off it. Ah! Shoot, speaking of which…"_

A light was beginning to form in front of them.

"No time wasted," Bakura stepped up, raising his arm as his duel disk activated.

The sound of another switching on caught his attention. Ryou had stepped up beside him.

"If Noah wants to play games then let's return the favour," The shy boy spoke.

He may have been limping, but his injury seemed non-existent as he stood tall.

The light expanded, and their next opponent leapt into view.

The monster was a large, very muscular warrior. His fierce teeth were gritted behind his mass of white beard, whilst green and gold armour protected areas of his body.

"Do I know this one?" Ryou asked.

"Ko…_Kojikocy_." Yugi answered after a moment of thought, "He's a warrior type, but I don't think he's very strong."

"_Fifteen hundred attack, and twelve hundred defence to be exact." _Akio responded.

"I'll place two cards face down and end my turn."

Bakura finished his move before they noticed, one card appearing in his monster zone, the other in his magic/trap zone.

"Then I'll summon _Discredited Mage _in attack mode, and place a card face down," Ryou continued.

No sooner was his turn finished, that a card flashed into life next to Kojikocy, and spun around to reveal itself.

"Careful, that's _Divine sword – Phoenix Blade_. It'll increase his attack by three hundred!" Malik warned.

"You didn't even have to think about that one," Yugi said impressed.

"Rishid has a lot of sword type cards."

The sword in Kojikocy's hand changed to a replica of the one on the card, whilst a gold aura surrounded the warrior for a few seconds, before he charged at Ryous monster.

He didn't flinch as his Mage was destroyed.

"Activate Discredited Mage's effect. Since it's been destroyed, I can send it and the cards in my hand back to my deck, and reduce any damage to zero."

Bakura drew his next card as Ryou shuffled his deck.

"I'll play _pot of greed_ and draw two cards, and then I'll switch _Headless Knight _to face up attack mode, and place another card face down."

Yami frowned as Bakura ended his turn, knowing he was more than smart enough not to just leave his monster vulnerable in attack mode. Still, he wished he had an idea what he was up to.

Ryou drew his next card and looked to it, before glancing to Bakura.

"You mind…?"

"If it'll work, then do it."

Even weary Ruby Carbuncle seemed confused by the whispering.

"What're they planning?" Malik muttered.

"I sacrifice headless knight to summon _Ghost Duke _in attack mode!"

Headless knight disappeared, and what had to be described as a purple zombie warrior appeared in Ryous monster zone.

"How did he…?" Yugi spouted out.

"He used one of bakura's monsters without any special effects." Yami said, his eyes wide.

Bakura however, only smirked.

"So it does work, Interesting."

A darker tone didn't escape the alter ego's voice. It was one thing that had never left him, like a chilly reminder to the others of what he'd once been.

"Ghost Duke, attack Kojikocy!"

The monster obeyed the command, and raised it blade at the warrior opposite it. However, the light portal opened once more, showing a purple card, just before the attack hit. However, Kojikocy didn't vanish.

"Darn it. This is really troublesome…not knowing what cards are waiting to be played." Ryou grumbled.

"What card was it?"

"I just managed to see it; _Waboku_…it reduced any damage taken to zero. I end my turn for now."

A familiar sound caught their attention.

"Whose life points just changed?" Malik said alarmed.

"Mine. I have to pay five hundred life points to keep Ghost Duke." Ryou answered.

Kojikocy suddenly vanished, and in its place appeared another warrior, this time much more human in appearance; A tall man with long blonde hair and dressed in silver armour.

"Akio…?"

"_Just checking now…ah, that one is 'Freed the Matchless General', attack twenty three hundred, defence seventeen hundred. Magic cards won't work against it."_

The warrior raced at Ghost Duke, ready to attack.

"Activate _Ghost Sheild_. By removing Headless Knight from the graveyard, Freed's attack is negated!" Bakura countered.

His face down card turned up, whilst Freed only bounced off of Ghost Duke.

"They can use each other's cards, like in a tag duel," Yami spoke.

"I don't understand, does this count as a tag duel? There's only one monster against them."

"These pre-set duels are obviously designed to handle just one opponent," Bakura stated with a smirk.

"Do you think that'll at all limit us? As in both our fields will count as one?" Ryou questioned.

Strangely, he didn't look the slightest bit nervous, rather just calm and calculating.

"That'll remain something to be seen. Let's end this duel."

"Sounds good. Mind if I do the honours?"

"As you wish."

"Does anyone else feel like…we're watching a professional tag team?" Yugi whispered.

"They're almost in perfect sync, like the paradox brothers," Yami quietly agreed.

"I'll summon _Death Calibur Knight _in attack mode, and end my turn." Bakura stated.

Ryou drew his next card, and Yami watched the way he just stared at it. His expression flickered back to the softer form he was known for, and the past life pharaoh found himself wondering what card he was about to play.

"I sacrifice Ghost Duke and Death Calibur Knight, in order to summon _Archfiend Empress_!"

Their monsters disappeared, and upon Ryous side appeared a female fiend dressed from head to toe in black and silver armour. It was very ornate, and her face could barely be seen under her head gear.

The group looked on in awe at the powerful monster, but Yami caught the way Bakura actually turned to look up at it. Just a moment ago it had appeared he could read his hikari's moves, but he seemed genuinely surprised by the choice of summon.

"Archfiend Empress, end this now!" Ryou ordered with almost a growl.

With a large six hundred less points, Freed the Matchless was easily wiped out by the attack. The pair of duellists waited silently, until the Empress disappeared, and their duel disks clicked off, declaring the end of the battle.

* * *

Noah was getting more and more annoyed, that much was clear. Small though it was, the so called invaders had found themselves an edge in fighting.

"This makes me very curious Seto, but it's also a right pain," He stated as he stood, glaring at the screens.

Seto turned from where he was resting his head the arm of the chair, and smirked.

"I guess in this case, what you don't know _can _hurt you."

"I hope you're not getting too confident about this Seto. After all…"

Noah turned and moved closer.

"…If you don't know something, you simply learn."

He reached out towards the exhausted CEOs head, but with a snarl, Seto lunged forward, sinking his teeth straight into the hand.

Noah flinched, biting back a cry of pain as Seto spared him no mercy, his eyes narrowing as his bite deepened.

Sucking in a breath, Noah raised his free hand, and brought it down hard against Setos face. The CEO lost his grip, though not without taking a bit of the male's skin with him.

"You fool Seto!" Noah grunted, holding his hand as it bled, "I've already learnt a good majority of what's in your mind. What do you think you can hide from me?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." Seto growled, spitting out the blood left in his mouth.

Noah grabbed his hair, forcing the brunette to look at him.

"I doubt even Mokuba knows half the things I've seen…" Noah's eyes widened slightly, "…you're guarding just one little thing from me, aren't you? Something I should know. You're already in a pitiful state Seto, you won't be able to keep it from me much longer."

He shoved him away and moved back to the screens.

"Don't have a tantrum Noah, just because I don't tell you, doesn't mean you won't find out," Seto taunted.

That caught the other boy's attention. The Sapphires replaced the smirk the mouth couldn't muster.

"If you make the mistake, you'll know it."

With a grunt, the CEO slumped to the ground, his energy spent for the time.

* * *

The wind was getting stronger. It blew his wild hair in his face, trying to deter him as he hauled himself over the edge.

Mokuba shifted back a bit and took a breath as he looked out at the view.

"You ok Mokuba?" Jou asked as he panted next to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Look, you can see where the mountains end just over there."

"Wow, that's not actually too far, but I still don't see how we're going to get there. Even if we climb all the way back down, we'll still have to deal with those monsters below."

Mokuba didn't answer, since even he was stuck about how to move on.

"Don't worry, we'll think of something. After everything we've seen and done, this isn't bad so far."

Mokuba looked to the smiling boy, and couldn't help a small smile of comfort.

An uncomfortably close breeze past over their heads then, making both boys look up. A large figure was hard to make out against the bright sun, but it was a lot closer than the other figures circling the mountain.

"Mokuba…what is that…?" Jou said nervously.

The dark shadow grew bigger, until it was close enough to come into view. Both boys screamed in shock, ducking as the giant pterodactyl swooped over them.

"I thought it was just dragons up here!" Jou yelled as he watched the black creature soar.

"Does it really matter what it is? It's still attacking us!"

The creature swooped past again, forcing them to pin themselves against the wall.

"I _do _know it. That's _Black Ptera_." Mokuba noted, glancing over the edge.

"As you said, does it really matter? Keep climbing!"

Jou pushed the boy around and up until he grabbed hold of the rocks.

They dragged themselves up as quick as they could, but a loud screech made them look around again.

Black Ptera was coming straight at them this time. It raised its stumpy legs, its claws latching over Mokuba's shoulders.

"No!" Jou cried, turning to grab the boy as he was ripped away from the rocky wall.

Mokuba grabbed his hand, but the dinosaur just pulled them both away. Jou starred in fear at the nauseating drop below, whilst Mokuba desperately tried to hold onto his taller friend.

"I know it's a big ask…but don't let go!" Jou cried over the wind.

"I'm trying!" Mokuba yelled back.

But Jou was just slipping more and more, Mokuba not nearly strong enough to hold his weight.

They cried out in unison as Jou finally slipped free, and plummeted through the air.

"Jonouchi!"

The teen scrambled through the air, as if searching for any kind of movement that would slow his decent.

"It's just a game…it's just a game…this can't hurt me…" He tried to reason.

But the quickly rising ground wasn't very reassuring. He closed his eyes, preparing for the impact.

He never felt it come, but when he peeped an eye open, he found himself hovering a fair distance above the ground.

More confused than scared now, he slowly glanced up as he became aware of pressure on his shoulders.

A giant yellow pterodactyl had caught him. Flames burned proudly on the underside of its wings, and crowned its red head.

Instinctively, he began squirming, trying to break free. He did succeed, but was quick to realise his mistake as he began falling again.

Below, large duel monsters looked up at the noise, and opened their jaws wide with loud roars.

The large flyer swooped after Jou, and managed to grab his leg, pulling up just in time for the boy to skim over the hungry, snapping jaws.

The boy stopped fighting, too preoccupied with holding onto his head in fear of losing it, even as the dinosaur took into the air. With a loud shriek and a hard thrust of its wings, it took after Black Ptera.

The other flyer quickly realised it had a follower, and sped up.

"Mokuba! I think this one might be on our side, you've gotta jump!"

"How am I meant to do that?"

Mokuba proved his point as he struggled against the grip on his shoulders.

Jous carrier screeched and flew at Black Ptera. The creature dodged the attack, but screeched loudly as the flames singed it slightly. It snapped back, but missed.

The flyers circled away from each other, before charging in for another attack. It looked like they would hit head on, but at the last moment, Jous carrier twisted, and the flames under its wing scorched Black Ptera badly.

Its sound of pain rang through the air, whilst Mokuba dropped from its claws. Jou reached for him, but the boy's fingers just grazed over his own.

"Go, GO!" Jou encouraged the monster.

Obediently, it swooped, leaving the blonde male screaming as he was dragged along. Mokuba's small form was tumbling fast, but before he could hit the ground, the phoenix style dinosaur caught up, and levelled out beneath him.

Mokuba held on tight, but didn't open his eyes immediately, until he was certain he wasn't falling any more.

"Jou? You alright?" He called, glancing over the side of the dinosaur.

"Eh…guess I shouldn't complain…" Jou grinned awkwardly.

Another screech from behind alerted them to Black Ptera, who'd recovered and was ready for round two.

"Hey…whatever your name is…wouldn't mind putting the pedal to the metal would you?"

"It's gotta lug us with it!"

"Hey you think I like hanging down here like a wind chime? At least you've got a good perch!"

They stopped the small squabble as Black Ptera closed in. However, a loud roar caught their attention, and their pursuer barely avoided the massive jaws that snapped at it, as a dragon rose from the ground, targeting the creature.

"_Alexandrite Dragon_! Niisan has that in his collection!" Mokuba yelled, watching in awe as the giant dragon forced Black Ptera to turn heel and run.

"That was even freakier upside down. Do you think it was trying to help us? Or just looking for an easy meal?"

"AH!"

"Mokuba?"

"I think a bug just flew in my ear…"

No sooner did the boy say that, that Jou felt a sudden irritation in his own ear.

"Oh Kami, get it out!"

"_MOKUBA KAIBA!"_

Both boys froze, before looking around.

"Jou…did you just hear Akio's voice?"

"I…think so…?"

"_Are you trying to make me collapse from stress?"_

"Akio? Where are you?"

"_Back in the real world; I'm just communicating with you through a program. What the heck were you BOTH thinking?"_

"I'm sorry Akio, I had to."

"Ditto. But we're both fine."

"_Only because I was able to find the hidden transport program of the area you landed in. I've managed to direct it to take you to Yami and the others."_

"Wait, you mean YOU'RE the one who saved us from that over grown bat?"

"_Yes, and guided you just close enough to Alexandrite Dragon to get it off your back permanently."_

"This monster's awesome! What one is it?" Mokuba asked, staring at the flames.

"_It's called Jurra Ptera…and yes it is a pretty cool dinosaur…and don't you DARE try to change the subject! If your brother doesn't kill you for this, I will!"_

Mokuba's expression was suited to one his age; Guilt from knowing he deserved it, but also frustration at yet again being treated like a child.

"How long will it take us to get there?" Jou broke the awkward silence.

"_Hopefully not too long. The others are already heading in your direction, but they're having to fight their way through. From what I can see, you two should have pretty smooth sailing."_

"Oh really…?" Jou grumbled, his face starting to turn green from swaying upside down, "This transport program better come with barf bags!"

* * *

"I know I'm probably wrong, but I'm going to say it anyway…Noah couldn't have put those mountains any further away if he tried!"

"I'd definitely say you were wrong about that aibou, but they _are_ further than they seemed at first."

"_Don't worry guys, I managed to get in contact with Mokuba and Jou. They're heading towards you now."_

"Any luck finding Kaiba or Noah yet?"

"_No luck Ryou, but I'll tell you what, you lot start heading back towards the central area, I'll make sure the others meet you there."_

"Alright, then back towards the swirling dome of death," Yami replied, his words joking, but his intentions serious.

"Bet the mountains don't look so bad now hey Yugi?" Malik teased as he altered his course.

Ruby Carbuncle lifted its head and rubbed it against Malik's arm.

"Speaking of which, you're looking a little better."

"_I'm running the antivirus program on it now Malik, though it'll take a while before it's fully quarantined."_

"But it'll be ok?"

"_Yes, but I repeat, don't let it take more damage."_

"Thanks Akio."

"_Heh, you really like that one, don't you?"_

"Don't laugh…" Malik blushed.

"_Be ready, you're next fight is right ahead, and I can't find a path around it…"_

"Don't worry, we'll handle it," Yami assured him.

No longer than ten seconds later, the familiar light appeared, but what popped out almost left the boys in laughter.

"Wow…it's almost as cute as Ruby…" Malik grinned, struggling not to laugh.

"Good thing Honda isn't here, or it might bring back some bad memories…" Yugi giggled, watching the robotic monkey dance around before them.

"_Don't laugh when I say this…but stop monkeying around all of you! Haven't we already learnt not to underestimate the fights in here?"_

"Ha ha…sorry Akio, you're right," Malik chuckled, "Hold Ruby for me," He passed the little cat like creature to Ryou.

It made a sound of protest as he moved away, but could only lay there.

"You've already battled Malik, you ok to go again?" Ryou asked.

"Don't worry, I've got it."

The Egyptian boy clicked his duel disk into life, looking at his deck proudly, until a quiet gasp left him.

"Malik? What is it?"

"What's going on here? Akio, are you seeing this?"

"_Yeah I'm seeing it, but I don't get it. There's no sign of a glitch. It…it must be designed that way…"_

"But why?"

"Malik! What's wrong?"

Malik looked to his friends.

"My life points…the ones I lost in my last battle…they're still missing."

"WHAT?"

"My deck is full again, but as for my life points…it's…it's as if I'm just picking back up where I left off…"

"_Perhaps that's Noah's intention; running your life points down bit by bit until you're out."_

"But…what then happens when we run out of life points? Will we just not be able to battle? Or…" Malik muttered, a shake in his voice.

Yami gritted his teeth.

"Don't worry Malik, I've got your back."

"No. I'll help him."

The past life pharaoh felt his stomach drop as Yugi stopped him, and walked up next to Malik.

"Aibou…"

A firm hand on his shoulder made Yami halt, and he looked around.

"Bakura?"

"Let him duel Yami. He's perfectly capable."

"I know that, but this is…"

The firm brown eyes that turned to him made him flinch. Bakura leant in close to his ear.

"Use your head for once Pharaoh. Do you honestly think having faith and putting your heart into it will be enough to save Kaiba? Noah may have made it look simple enough, but he went through a lot of effort just to get Kaiba here. Do you believe he'll just give him up so easily?"

Yami felt himself tense, like a cold hand had just clenched around his heart.

"Even if we manage to defeat everything he throws at us…even if we find Kaiba…Noah won't give him up without a fight. If all else fails, he'll step up to the bat himself…and who out of us do you think he'll target?"

This time the ruby eyed teen gasped, finally understanding.

"We came for you Yami…but you came for Kaiba. You're the one trying to ruin all Noah's work. He'll come for you, and when he does, you need to be at your strongest, because he certainly won't let himself start with a disadvantage like lowered life points."

Bakura stepped back and turned to watch the fight, whilst the words sunk into Yami painfully.

'_What he says is true…but…how can I leave my friends to fight? They're all strong, but even if there wasn't this disadvantage of the life points, how is it fair that they duel and I don't?'_

"Thanks Yugi, I appreciate it," Malik said.

"Don't mention it. Thanks to Bakura and Ryou, we now know that we can tag team," Yugi smiled as his duel disk clicked into life.

"Well no time like the present," Malik chuckled and checked his hand, "I think for now I'll just place three cards face down."

One card appeared in his monster zone, and the other two in his magic/trap zone.

"Then I'll place _Alpha the Magnet Warrior _in attack mode, and place one card face down, then end my turn." Yugi followed.

From the light void opposite them appeared what looked like four jelly men; one green, one blue, one red and one orange…all wearing construction helmets. Before the group had time to consider the strange creatures, the robotic monkey disappeared, and in its place appeared a large dark sphere covered in machine parts and wires, with strings of blue electricity sparking all over.

"_Well that's more like it…'Ally Mind' is certainly a little more intimidating than 'Acrobat Monkey'. Eighteen hundred attack, and fourteen hundred defence guys."_

"And what about the goo men, hey Akio?"

"_I'm working on it Malik!"_

Ally mind suddenly headed towards the violet eyed boy.

"Activate trap card, Mirror force, which destroys all the opponents attack position monsters."

Malik's trap card flipped face up. However, the jelly men across from them suddenly vanished, along with his trap card.

"What the…?"

Ally Mind struck his face down monster. What appeared to be slime in the shape of a human and dressed in gold armour appeared, but it was Ally Mind that vanished.

"What in Ra's name just happened?"

"_Don't hate me…"_

"What kind of combination was that Akio?"

"_Your so called goo men were 'A-Team Trap Disposal Unit'. Because you activated a trap card, they could be tributed to destroy it. I guess it was just lucky your monster's defence was stronger anyway."_

"True, but I'd hoped to leave it face down a bit longer…" Malik grumbled, and drew his next card, "I'll place _Gil Garth_ in attack mode, and end my turn."

A large creature completely concealed by purple armour appeared, covered in spikes and wielding a large sword.

"I don't suppose we can attack directly in this case; it's too bad, this would be a great chance otherwise," Yugi grumbled as he drew his card, "I sacrifice Alpha to summon _Dark Red Enchanter_. Since he was normal summoned, I can add two spell counters to him, each one giving him an additional three hundred attack points, which brings the total up to twenty three hundred.

"Nice one Yugi," Malik chuckled.

"That's not all," Yugi said confidently, and pointed to his face down card, "I'll also equip him with the spell card _Book of secret arts_, which gives a spell caster another three hundred points, AND…since I activated a spell card, Red Enchanter gains another spell counter, and thus another three hundred points."

Malik looked confused and paused to count on his fingers for a moment.

"_Awesome Yugi! Twenty nine hundred; that brings your monster's attack ALMOST equal to a Blue Eyes White Dragon. Ha ha, I can see why you're ranked number one."_

Yugi smiled confidently around at Yami, who couldn't look more proud of his hikari if he tried.

Still, there was always that nervous twinge in his stomach.

"Since again, I don't think we can attack directly, I'll just place one card face down, and end my turn," Yugi finished.

A card flashed into life across from them, but then Malik's _Humanoid Slime _began to glow, and suddenly vanished. On the other side of the field appeared a mechanical creature shaped a bit like a seal or dolphin, except it rested on top of four spikey legs, and instead of a face, it just had one mechanical eye scanning them.

"Hey!" Malik objected, "Akio?"

"_That was 'Soul Exchange' Malik. Sorry, I didn't even see it properly until the data came up, and it was too late then. It allows you to use an opponent's monster to summon one of your own…in this case, your new target is 'Ally of Justice Core Destroyer'. Twelve hundred attack, and two hundred defence."_

"I'm getting a bit over all these machines…" Malik growled as he watched another card appear face down on the field, but stood straight when nothing else happened.

"Odd, it must be a monster card. Magic and trap cards haven't appeared prior to this…" Ryou thought a loud.

"_You're good to go Malik. The down side to Soul Exchange, is that you have to skip your battle phase,"_

"Well that's peachy by me. I'll play _Granadora_, and place two cards face down."

The monster he had summoned looked like a giant grey dinosaur with a spider style head. Ryou actually grimaced and stepped back slightly.

"_Malik…that's a risky monster…are you sure you should've played it?" _Akio spoke warily.

This whole thing is a risk…no point getting cautious about it now," Malik grumbled, "Summoning Granadora gives me an additional one thousand life points. Now Gil Garth! Attack Core Destroyer!"

The large, purple soldier did as it was commanded, and the robot disappeared almost faster than it had come.

"Your turn Granadora, attack the face down card!" Malik ordered.

The mutant dinosaur did so, but instead of being destroyed, the card flipped up. A large red disk with a radar in the centre, and four, sharp metal legs appeared. It quickly clamped onto Granadora.

"_Oh no! Get that off right now!"_

"What will it do Akio?" Malik called in panic.

"_I don't need to look that one up. It's 'Adhesive Explosive'. A friend of mine used it on me once; if you don't get rid of it by your next standby phase Malik, it'll destroy Granadora. Normally it wouldn't matter since damage calculation isn't applied, but you picked the wrong monster to use…"_

"Urasai! You might be able to tell about the cards, but even you don't know what's coming until it arrives!" Malik yelled defensively.

"Stop fighting! Why was it the wrong monster?" Yami scolded them as Malik looked away in anger.

"Because if Granadora is destroyed, I'll lose double the life points it originally gave me."

"Two thousand life point?" Ryou whispered in shock, "I know the extra points he received will lighten the blow, but it's still a heavy price."

"I'll end my turn," Malik growled, glancing to his life point counter.

Ryou patted Ruby Carbuncle as it made a worried sound, looking up to Malik.

As it became Yugis turn once more, it was clear the usually level headed boy was getting frustrated by the lack of monsters for him to attack.

"I'm sorry Malik. Do you want me to see if direct attacks are possible?"

"No. You've got a powerful monster on your side of the field, but it's the only one you've got. For all we know there could be a trap card waiting. Even if another monster is summoned to attack me, it'll give you a chance to attack as well."

"Alright then…this really isn't like any duel we've done before. I'll place _Black Land Fire Dragon _in attack mode and place another two cards face down, then end my turn."

The next opponent to appear was a large sphere sitting on crab like legs with robotic arms, and two cannons sitting on its shoulders.

"_Ally of Justice Nullifier, sixteen hundred attack, twelve hundred defence…and be ready, looks like a magic card is coming."_

No sooner had Akio said it, that a card flashed into life, only to disappear and be replaced by a second monster on the field. This time, it looked like tiny robotic bugs, each sending out a small laser, that together formed a 3D diamond, which contained some weird red and black mist.

"Kuso…" Malik growled, his frustration growing.

"_No kidding…that was 'Double Summon'…and I think its effect is clear enough. The new one is 'Ally of Justice Quarantine'."_

"They're both pretty weak monsters. I don't think they'll be staying long…" Malik said warily, glancing to Yugi.

"Not if we don't get rid of them first," Yugi agreed.

"Well I guess if that's everything…" Malik grumbled, but now he was shaking.

He slowly raised his hand to draw his next card.

"Malik…"

"There's nothing that can be done Yugi…I don't have any way to stop it! And neither do you, or you wouldn't be panicking," Malik quickly interrupted, and drew his card.

He closed his eyes as Granadora roared. The effect of Adhesive Explosive kicked in, and both creatures were destroyed. Malik grunted loudly, gritting his teeth as his life points dropped substantially.

"Malik!"

"I'm fine Yami! Don't count me out yet!" The boy answered roughly, "This may be one of my lousiest duels ever, but I'm not backing down!"

It was true torture to stand and watch his best friends duel for him…they didn't even have to be here, but they'd come just for him. Yami gripped his arm painfully as his heart came to understand that this was no longer just about getting Kaiba out…but about getting ALL of them out.

Malik looked to his new card, and gave a weak smirk.

"I'll play _'Lightening Vortex'_, which destroys all monsters on the opponent's side."

His card flashed into effect, but another one appeared in the light void opposite.

"_Careful, it's 'Mystical Space Typhoon'. It'll destroy your card."_

Malik's smirk suddenly grew a little playful.

"Oh? Well it's good that two people can play that game! I also activate 'Mystical Space Typhoon'! I said the monsters are going, and that's that!"

Malik's spell card destroyed its twin, and Lightening Vortex…free to continue its work…blasted away the two machine types opposite them.

"Great one Malik!" Yugi cheered, giving him the thumbs up.

"Thanks, but I keep stopping you from being able to do anything," Malik chuckled, returning the gesture.

They looked back however, as another card flashed opposite them, and a new monster appeared.

"_Careful…that was a continuous spell card. 'Machina Armour Unit'; when a machine type is destroyed, another machine type with lower attack and the same attribute can be summoned per turn."_

"And our new friend here…?" Yugi asked, looking to the green tank shaped creature.

"_Ally of Justice Searcher. It's only about fourteen hundred attack, but again, be wary of that spell card."_

"It won't be a problem. Malik, is your turn finished?"

"I'll place two cards face down and end my turn."

"Good, then I'll draw, and play my face down, _Despell_. We don't need Machina Armour Unit hanging around, so it can go!"

And with that, the spell card was gone.

"Malik, may I borrow those?" Yugi indicated to Malik's side of the field.

"What, both of them?"

Instead of answering, Yugi just turned a certain card in his fingers for Malik to see. The boy's eyes widened a little, before he chuckled and shook his head.

"So what's the deal? You get to stand there with TWO awesome looking monsters…plus a dragon…whilst I stand here with zilch?" The Egyptian boy laughed, before the humour disappeared in a flash, and he looked seriously to Yugi, "Forget the manners…do it!"

"Arigato. I sacrifice Gil Garth and the face down monster, to summon _Dark Magician _in attack mode!"

Dark Magician belonged to Yugi. There hadn't been a second thought from the second they'd separated, but Yami still felt a warm and proud connection to the monster every time he saw it played.

"Dark Magician! Attack Justice Searcher!"

Dark Magician flew at the machine, but a card flashed across from them.

"_Limiter Removal! It'll double the monster's attack!"_

"Not a chance! I'll play _Magic Jammer_! It stops a spell card and destroys it!"

Before Yugis card could take effect, yet another card rose to stop it.

"_Remove Trap!...Please tell me I don't have to explain that!"_

"Not a bit!" Malik shouted, "I activate MY face down, _Curse of the Royal_! Any spell or trap that tries to destroy another spell or trap, is the one that disappears!"

The short rally ended, and the opponent's card disappeared. With a clear run, Dark Magician destroyed Justice Searcher.

"I'll end my turn…and hope that this duel's nearly over."

But only to disappoint him, another monster rose up to face them; yet again, one that left it hard to take the battle seriously.

"_You and me both hope Yugi…ok, Cosmic Compass. Only one hundred attack, and three hundred defence._

The machine turned to Malik, who rolled his eyes.

"No offense Yugi, but I wish they'd pick on you for a while. Oh well, it won't work," Malik grumbled the last part quietly, glancing to a face down card on his side.

However, the monster didn't attack. Akio was about to speak, but the monster beat him to it, as two clones of itself appeared.

"_Uhh…yeah…it can summon tokens equal to the number of opponent's monsters. I think it's registered that Yugi has two."_

"Well excuse me if I curse…" Malik growled in frustration, glancing to his card again, but not looking nearly so confident.

The first Cosmic Compass attacked him.

"Our life points may not reset, but at least our cards do! I use Sakuretsu Armour to destroy the attacking monster!"

The monster vanished, but now Malik looked to the two still remaining.

When the next one attacked, it was Yugis turn to react.

"I'll play _Changing Destiny_! It negates the attack, and switches the opponent's monster to defence mode!"

The monster was forced back to its own side.

"To add to it, the opponent would then have to choose between two options. However, since there's no actual opponent who can choose to loose life points, it'll have to be the option that gives me life points equal to half the target's attack points. It may only be fifty, but rules are rules."

Both looked to the one monster still to attack.

"You're right…I wish it would come at me instead. Malik, can you take it?"

"Not that I have a choice…but…it'll only be one hundred points…"

The so called compassed shifted as if to rear up, before it shot at Malik. The Egyptian boy braced himself for it, not reacting to the cry from Ruby; not until he heard a panicked yell of "WAIT!" from Ryou;

Ruby Carbuncle…though weak as it still was…had jumped from his arms, and run straight to Malik. The Egyptian boy felt his breath stop as the tiny creature leapt into the air, directly in the path of the machine.

They collided head on, and with a loud, high squeal, Ruby Carbuncle disappeared.

"RRRUUUUBBBBYYY!"

Malik's cry rang louder than even the small animals had. He stared in shock at where it had once been, as only fragments glittered in the air, like a cruel taunt as they disappeared one by one.

Upon his duel disk, a mere ten points vanished from his counter.

"Malik…I'm so sorry…i-it just…" Ryou tried to apologise, his hands shaking.

"_Ruby…it…it would normally be stronger…but…it wasn't even a third at full health…I don't even know how it managed to move…I…" _Akio was as lost for words as all of them.

Malik didn't look like he knew what to do. His whole body trembled, his eyes growing wider with each second. There was a sudden burst of his shadow magic that made the sennen partners flinch.

"Malik no!"

Yami raced to his friend, and wrapped his arms around him from behind. The shadow energy pouring from the boy was filled with a rage Yami hadn't felt in a long time.

Malik was struggling to keep hold of his emotions.

"Malik…my friend…gomenasai…hontou gomenasai. Please, don't lose yourself again, don't let the rage have its way. You know where it led you last time. I promise Ruby will be avenged, but don't let it be via your anger. Ruby chose you because you're gentle…I know it."

Yami wasn't sure why he said that last part, but it had been clear from the beginning that despite only being a program, Ruby Carbuncle had found a preference in Malik. He wasn't as sweet and innocent as Ryou and Yugi, but he was gentle, carefree, fun-loving, and loyal to no limit…just as Ruby had proven to be.

Malik was growling under his breath, his aura flashing out around him, grazing over Yamis skin in both hot and cold flares…in every way rejecting the boy's compassion. But Yami held tight; He wouldn't abandon Malik's side no matter how much that darkness scared him.

Even if he didn't like it, Marriku had come from Malik's anger...it was only normal that even now, with him gone, this anger still chilled him to the bone.

Beneath his hands, Yami suddenly felt his friend take a quiet, but massive breath. His body began to steady as he fought to control his breathing.

"Yami…please…let go…" Malik finally whispered, placing his hand on top of Yamis, "…trust me, nothing can EVER make me go there again…nothing. I need you to let go…this duel isn't over."

Yami suddenly found himself hesitant to let go, but the anger in Malik's voice was now under control; there was no way it would get the better of him now.

Finding his own confidence, he stepped back, looking to Yugi, who passed him a reassuring nod.

"When this is over, I never want to see another machine monster again!" Malik growled, drawing his next card, "I'll place three cards face down, and play my trap card, _Altar for Tribute_…"

His firm gaze turned to his duelling partner.

"You trust me right Yugi?"

"Absolutely."

"Good. Then I choose to sacrifice Dark Magician, and altar of tribute will give me its attack points as life points! That ends my turn."

Naturally there was a common uncertainty about choosing to sacrifice Yugis trump card, but the boy himself showed no sign of doubt in his friend's move, merely drawing his next card.

"I'll place one card face down. And now, I can finally have my turn to attack! Dark Red Enchanter, attack the left Cosmic Compass!"

The red magician flew at the machine, but Yugis attempt to finally strike was cut short as a card rose to stop him.

"_Kuso! Now the game is using Negate Attack!"_

"Darn…that means my turn is ended…sorry Malik," Yugi grumbled.

"Don't worry about it," Malik began, but turned quickly as the two compass machines vanished.

What appeared in their place looked like it had been ripped from a sci-fi film; A giant round gateway with bolts of electricity striking out, looking ready to suck in anyone to another dimension or time.

"_G-guys…I think this is it…the final opponent. If you defeat this thing, then the duel is over."_

A spell card appeared across from them.

"_Drats! 'Seven Completed'. It'll take 'Alley of Justice Cosmic Gateways' attack from twenty four hundred to thirty one hundred!"_

"I don't think so! I activate _Anti-spell_. By taking away two spell counters from Dark Red Enchanter, I can negate the activation of a spell card and destroy it!"

Despite his own monster losing six hundred points, Yugi seemed pleased to have stopped the increase for their opponent.

"About time," Malik sighed, even as yet again he was chosen as the target, "As for you, don't even think about it! You two think you're the only ones with Negate Attack in your deck?"

Said card rose from its face down position, and the attack was stopped before it even got half way.

"You may just be a set computer program, but it still means that's the end of your turn. I draw, and I'll play my face down monster, _Dark Jeroid_! When this monster is summoned, I can select one monster on the field and decrease its life points by eight hundred!"

"Impressive! That leaves Cosmic Gateway with just fourteen hundred attack!" Mokuba cheered.

"That's not all big guy. I'll play the spell card, Monster Reborn, and welcome back Dark Magician to the field!"

Yami actually heard himself chuckle in surprise as the monster once more emerged.

"Yugi…" Malik suddenly whispered, and all noticed he was shaking once more, "…I know I could finish this right now…and believe me I want to…but I…I need you to do it…please…"

Yami felt his heart ache. His friend was terrified he's loose himself if he was to deliver the final blow.

"Daijoubu Malik…I can do it," Yugi assured him with a gentle smile.

Malik's shoulders slumped, and in a barely audible mutter, he ended his turn.

"Alright, I draw! Then I'll sacrifice Black Land Fire Dragon and Dark Jeroid to summon _Buster Blader_! Both monsters are strong, but neither are sticking around long, because now I play _Polymerization_! Dark Magician, Buster Blader, fuse to become _Dark Paladin_!"

A monster that did indeed appear to be a fused form of them appeared. A dark magician with even grander armour of very dark green and gold, and a staff that was as menacing as it's holders power.

"_Twenty…twenty nine hundred?" _Was all Akio could breathe out.

It was all that needed to be said.

"This duel…no…all these duels…have caused more than enough trouble," Yugi stated firmly, as a single tear finally breached his walls, caressing his cheek as it fell, "Dark Paladin, end this!"

Finally, nothing rose to destroy their efforts this time. With a single blast of the powerful magician, Cosmic Gateway disintegrated, and soon, Yugis monsters disappeared, signalling that their struggle had come to an end.

Ryou slumped from the exhaustion of just watching. Jou and Mokuba cheered, whilst Yami moved to his two closest friends.

"Subarashi…Aibou…" He whispered lovingly to Yugi, holding his hand and shoulder.

Yugi smiled warmly up to him. He knew his alter ego had been worried for him, even though he'd gone ahead and let him duel.

His trust was what brought his smile more than anything.

"Malik?" Yami quickly turned his attention to his other friend.

The Egyptian boy was looking down. He looked a bit numb, like his fire had blown out to just warm coals that may still burst into flames if given enough provoking.

"Akio…which way?" He suddenly spoke dryly.

"_Uh…just…follow that path still. Stay close to the mountain side…you should be free of any duels there."_

Malik began moving before any of them could think to. As he followed, Yami had fight with himself to stay back, because he knew that no matter how much he wanted to comfort his friend, the only thing that would help Malik right this second was his own space.

* * *

The cup cracked beneath his fingers, not enough to spill its contents, but certainly threatening.

"These pests are persistent," Noah growled, "It seems I may be forced to squash them myself, so I'd wipe that grin off your face Seto!"

He couldn't actually see the brunette's face, but he was indeed smirking.

"Sorry Noah, but it looks like you didn't plan this out as well as you though you did."

"Don't pretend for a moment that you thought they'd go this far Seto."

"No, but unlike you, I didn't expect that they'd do nothing."

Seto shifted a bit.

"Those fools don't know how to keep out of other's business."

Noah raised an eyebrow as there was a laugh in Kaibas voice when he said that.

"You don't necessarily sound ungrateful for that Seto. Don't tell me you're actually starting to accept their friendship?"

"Oh Please. Does a CEO make friends with a supply partner just because they provide necessary equipment?"

"So you're saying you wouldn't care if something happened to them?"

This time Noah smirked.

"I didn't go through all that trouble just to let some out-of-his-time pharaoh ruin everything."

Noah stood and walked towards the screens. However, he paused and looked at Seto sceptically.

"Why exactly _have _you been humouring him anyway Seto?"

The CEO stiffened, but his gaze was still at the ground.

"For as good a joke as this little _relationship _has made, it remains A JOKE. You're not a man to waste time, but I can't possibly see what you'd find in him. Being the two top duellists in the world is hardly enough to start anything beyond a rivalry."

When Seto didn't move, Noah gritted his teeth in annoyance and stormed over to him.

"Don't think I won't find out if I don't want to Seto," He warned, grabbing the brunette's hair roughly, "You're so bent on protecting one little thing in that mind of yours, that you've left the rest of your memory wide open…"

He lowered his face until they were eye level, except that Seto still diverted his gaze stubbornly.

"I've seen practically everything you've kept hidden from everyone…including what you're hiding from Yami."

Shock flashed through the CEOs eyes, a reaction that pleased Noah.

"Oh? You wouldn't like it if I let that information slip in his presence would you? I don't like secrets Seto, but I'd be willing to keep that one for you, if you show me what you're hiding."

He saw then what few had seen before; a glimmer of fear in the sharp sapphires, as the CEO actually shook beneath his grip.

Again Noah's own confidence showed plain and clear, to the point he allowed his expression to turn softer, even if the kindness was false.

"This really doesn't suit you Seto…HE doesn't suit you."

The brunette stopped shaking, but said nothing.

"You've thought it plenty of times yourself, haven't you? As I said, besides your level of duelling skills, what more do you have in common with Yami? Even the way you duel is different; you do the smart thing and duel with your head, whilst he like a fool, duels with his heart. Maybe he's a good guy, but that hardly makes him the right guy…"

"Noah lowered his face near the CEOs ear.

"You can't justify it Seto, so just admit what you know…that guy…he'll just bring you down."

He watched as Setos eyes widened again, but in a mere second, they narrowed even sharper than when a nerve had been struck earlier.

Noah's smirk dropped, and he quickly recoiled as Seto looked around to him with an even deadlier expression than before.

The aqua haired male grabbed for the chain linking his wrist with Setos neck, but the second his grip tightened around it, Seto suddenly jerked back hard, making his captive stumble forward.

Seto then threw his head forward, smashing it straight against Noahs.

The step brother fell backwards, clutching his head as his vision span.

When it finally slowed down, all he could see was Seto glaring at him, every part of his will reared up in defiance, as intimidating and dangerous as the dragon that represented the young man.

Noah glared back angrily as Seto collapsed in exhaustion again, still growling a bit through his teeth.

"I suppose that must have something to do with whatever you're hiding. I have no idea which nerve I hit this time, but don't think that will go unpunished Seto!" Noah growled as he stood.

He raised his wrist, and the clamp around it snapped off. Snaking through the air once more, it attached itself to the ground like the rest had.

The CEO didn't react; He just kept glaring down the one who'd imprisoned him, even when he strode over and pushed his head painfully into the ground.

This time, the CEO couldn't muster the strength to defend his thoughts, and gasped as his so called secret flashed out of his control for half a second.

It was all that Noah needed though.

"Oh…so that's it?" The male whispered, a dark smirk crossing his feature, "…that's what they'll eventually have to face is it?"

Seto pulled his head out of the painful grip, but his eyes were shut in frustration. Noah scowled a bit, but just stood and moved back to the screens.

His step brother was just too stubborn. No matter what he tried, the brunette was as solid as ice.

He glared hard at the screens where he watched the ruby eyed teen that had to be the only other person in existence as stubborn as Seto.

And yet, next to him, the CEO had begun to melt; to lower his powerful shields just enough for Yami to see a little more of hi…

…Noah's eyes widened in shock, his anger disappearing like water down a drain.

Remembering the snippet of a memory he'd just stolen from Seto, he allowed a cruel smirk as he zoomed in on the past life pharaoh.

"I said you wouldn't go unpunished Seto, and neither will Yami…"

He turned his wicked expression to Kaiba.

"I'll let you be each other's punishment."

With that, he turned away silently, his focus now on whatever he was quickly working on.

Still huddled on the floor, barely able to move, Seto lowered his gaze, whilst Noah was too busy to notice the smirk that grew upon his captive's face.

* * *

_GAH!... Let me just say, this was such a pain to edit...-_-'_

_I did my best to follow the rules of duel monsters, and the majority of the cards used are true to the owners decks. Again, I really hope it was worth it...I put a lot of effort into those duels...lol...when you're not very good with strategy, it's hard XD_

_Please no body kill me over Ruby! I promise you'll love me in the end! (maybe not for a long time yet...but eventually!)_

_Anyway, as I mentioned before, the next half of this should only be a few days away...it's not as long, and was much easier to write._

_Thanks for reading, reviews are loved!_


	22. Chapter 22

_Yes! out just a few days later like I'd hoped! :D_

_Ok, so again this chapter flickers between different view points, and again I think it's easy enough to follow...but JUST incase it gets confusing;_

_'thoughts are written like this' _(like always)

"Sentences of whoever's view point it is are written like this" (per normal)

_"Who ever's view point it ISN'T is written like this" _(like Akio's since they entered the virtual world)

**_"Noah's sentences are written like this"_** (except when it's his view point...or he enters the scene).

_Lol, this was the fun part of the original section to write...not always easy, but fun non the less :)_

_I don't think anything else needs to be addressed, so please enjoy :D_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of it's characters...only anything or anyone previously mentioned are mine._

* * *

_**Chapter 22:**_

Whatever joy had been keeping the group in good spirits, was now being supressed by a darkening realisation.

It wasn't as if they'd intentionally underestimated the place, but now the danger it presented was clearer than ever.

Yami looked up to Malik, who'd taken the lead, if only to distract his feelings.

They'd only known Ruby Carbuncle for perhaps a few hours at the most, but program or not, it still felt like they'd lost one of their own.

He just didn't know what to say or do for his best friend. He knew he had to let him be for the time, but the ragging desire to help just wouldn't leave him alone.

Having felt his distress, Yugi had reached out his hand and held his partners own.

'_Why can't Malik have this as well?' _The ruby eyed teen thought as he glanced to Bakura and Ryou.

They weren't holding hands or even looking at each other, but since they'd begun walking again, they'd stayed side by side, never altering the miniscule gap between them.

Malik though? One of only three pairs chosen to share a sennen connection, and it was nothing like it should be.

Yami didn't want to admit that his friends rage had scared him, but it was the truth.

It was anger that had given birth to Malik's traitorous sennen partner; he never wanted him to be betrayed like that again.

"_Alright guys…you're almost there now. It should be just around the corner ahead. I don't think there's any more fights before you get there, but I detect there's one right in front of your destination, and I think it's safe to presume it'll be a big one…"_

Akio had been caught in the heavy silence with them, speaking only to give directions. Even now he sounded hesitant to announce the presence of another foe.

"Thanks Akio," Yami spoke up, hoping to give Kaibas cousin some form of comfort.

"_Oh!"_

"What is it?" This time Ryou voiced his thoughts.

"_Behind you guys!"_

The group turned quickly. A dark silhouette in the sky was drawing closer.

Already on edge, they each raised their duel disks, until a voice confused them all.

"Heeeeeeyyy!"

"Yami…did that sound like…?"

"Yes, it did…" Yami responded, almost not believing it.

The figure came into view; a red and yellow pterodactyl carrying Mokuba on his back, whilst Jou hung from one leg in its claws.

Both were waving in excitement at them.

"Mokuba! Jonouchi!" Yugi laughed.

"In coming!" Jou yelled playfully.

However, his exuberance died away, when the dinosaur suddenly let go of him.

He screamed as he fell towards his friends, whilst Bakura made a casual act of side stepping, pulling Ryou with him.

Malik, wasn't so fast to react as Jou crashed straight into him.

The pterodactyl circled over-head once more, just low enough for Mokuba to jump off. Yami and Yugi waited below ready to catch him.

"Thanks Jurra Ptera!" The boy called as The dinosaur made a loud call, and took off.

"You ok?"

"Yeah, no problem," He answered Yugi with a smile.

"Speak for yourself," Jou groaned loudly, "Uuuh…sorry Malik."

"No biggie…" Malik muttered back, looking away as his face grew redder every second at having his friend's crotch in his face…a fact the blonde seemed oblivious to.

"I'm glad you're alright Mokuba…" Yami said as they put him down.

The raven haired boy flinched as the grip on his shoulder firmed in warning.

"…But I do hope you're aware that you're in big trouble once we get out of here."

"Give me a break! Akio already had a go at me!" Mokuba spat in disbelief.

"_Sorry kiddo, but Yami has the right to be angry as well," _Akio spoke, and it was possible to hear the shrug in his words.

"Why do you insist on treating me like a kid?" Mokuba yelled.

"Because what you did is what I'd expect of a child!" Yami growled.

Everyone froze at his harsh tone, even Bakura, who until a moment ago, had looked rather uninterested.

"Didn't I already make it clear that leaving you behind was nothing to do with your age, or whether or not you were capable of being here? I understand why you wanted to come, but did you stop and think for one minute how your brother would feel about it? There isn't a person or thing in existence more important to se…se…KUSO! To Kaiba. Everyone knows that…INCLUDING NOAH! Even though he tried, outside of this world, there was little Noah could do to get to you. But in here, he's in control…"

Mokuba gasped as Yami suddenly embraced him a little too tightly.

"Y-Yami…I can't…" He choked out.

Yami heard him, but didn't let him go; It was all he could do to keep his emotions under control.

"He may've had to set a trap for your brother, but he's proven he wants you both. This was playing right into his hands…"

"Yami…" Mokuba interrupted as he managed to squirm into a better position, "…I know I shouldn't have come…I knew the risks before I put that chocolate in my mouth. Please don't assume I don't know what I've gotten myself into. I'm sorry, but it's my brother. Wouldn't you have done the same thing? If someone was after you, and they used Yugi as a lure, wouldn't you go even if you knew you shouldn't?"

Both Yugi and Yami flinched. The past life pharaoh already knew the answer; Even if it was Marriku, Yami would knock down anyone who stood between him and Yugi.

He just prayed it never happened.

Ryou glanced around as Bakura shifted slightly behind him, but seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he looked away again.

Yami loosened his grip on Mokuba, and instead held the boy's shoulders as he stood.

"You're still not out of hot water," He muttered as his composer returned.

"Don't I know it," Mokuba answered with a playful smirk, "The dragon hasn't even roared yet…"

Yami was surprised to hear such a thing from Mokuba, but a snicker suddenly burst free, and quickly became laughter.

It wasn't really something to joke about; The second they freed Kaiba and were safe, Mokuba was truly in for it.

'_But then, I doubt I'll get off much lighter.'_

"Don't worry Mokuba, you might get grilled about it, but me? I'm sooo burnt toast for letting you come," Jou tried to joke.

"Yeah, honestly Jou, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes," Yugi chuckled awkwardly.

"Indeed," Yami spoke firmly, grabbing the blonde's attention, "I would've expected better from you."

"H-hey now…"

Before Jou could debate though, Yamis look softened to one of gratitude.

"However, I have no doubt that being as much of a sneaky runt as my own hikari, he still would've come the second no one was looking…so thank you for staying with him," The ruby eyed teen finished, wrapping an arm around Mokuba's shoulders.

The boy frowned slightly, thought the guilt in his eyes said Yami was right. Yugi raised an eyebrow at the 'runt' comment, but a quick look from Yami just made him grin in guilt.

Jou relaxed as he realised he wasn't about to get berated, and just gave a nod.

"_Yeah well if you lot think you're in for a flaming, then get in line. Seto will be after my ass first, and by the time he's done, I doubt there'll even be ashes left."_

Akio succeeded in getting the whole group to laugh. Bakura was an exception of course, but a minor role of his eyes was a good indication that even he'd relaxed slightly.

"_Ok ok now, reunion's over everyone, let's walk and talk. Get around that corner ahead and you should see your destination…"_

Despite the size of the dark sphere that marked the centre of this world, the cliff face had kept it hidden from view since they'd begun following it.

"We're actually going to that freaky looking dome? I'm surprised we can't see that huge thing even here…" Jou muttered, before looking ahead suddenly, "Hey Malik, you sure you're ok?"

"I'm fine," Malik answered sharply, not looking around.

Whatever laughter his friends had given him had been short lived.

Jou had flinched at the sharp reply, but now frowned.

Regardless of Yami and Yugis silent attempts to stop him, he picked up the pace just enough to catch up to the Egyptian boy.

"Hoi! Seriously, if I hurt you before…" Jou began, taking his shoulder.

But it wasn't that which made Malik…or any of them…come to a complete stop.

No, the reason for their unanimous stop was a massive roar from where they were heading.

"Please tell me Noah hasn't brought Red Eyes back…" Ryou whispered, a shake in his voice.

But as a second roar made most of them step back, Yami found himself drawn forward.

"That's not _Red Eyes_…"

The whisper caught everyone's attention, but not soon enough for them to question it before the teen took off at the speed he was too well known for.

"Yami wait!" Yugi called, taking after his alter ego.

There was no catching him though. They all knew he was lightening quick when he ran full pelt.

He rounded the side of the cliff, inhaling sharply as he finally came face to face with the dome in all its intimidating glory.

He'd known it would be even bigger up close, but it still left him speechless as his speed caused him to stop only a few metres from it.

Although perfect in shape, he could now see that the dome wasn't solid. It was a wall of darkness, with shades of dark blue and grey swirling through it like storm clouds.

'_But where's…?'_

He looked around, feeling his stomach clench.

There'd been no mistaking the creature that sound had belonged to, but the lack of its presence made his heart thud painfully.

'_Where are you…?'_

"Yami Mutou will you slow down?"

He glanced back at the shout from Yugi. He looked annoyed, but also panicked. Perhaps he too had recognised the familiar sound?

"_Yami…"_

"Akio?"

"_Something's not right…I…I think you need to get away from there…"_

"Away from whe…" Yami began, but cut off as he turned to his friends.

He stared transfixed at a gold ring on the ground he hadn't noticed. It looked like it must've circled the entire dome, but as Yugi and the others crossed over it, it briefly flashed red for each of them.

"Akio…what is that thing?"

"_It looks like the border of the battle zone for this place. Remember I said there would be a fight when we got here, so be ready guys, I guess you could say this is going to be something like a boss battle."_

In almost perfect Unison, Bakura and Malik both clicked their duel disks into life. Ryou was right behind them, followed by Yugi.

"Arm down you," Yugi warned, pushing Yamis limb down as he tried to do the same.

"Aibou, this isn't…"

"You have to be ready in case we fail!" The smaller male argued.

"_**Which will be right now!"**_

The booming voice rang through the air, startling them all into looking to the sky.

"Noah!" Yami yelled, not slow to recognise the voice.

Only a familiar laugh answered him, but his gaze shifted back to the dome as he noticed a patch of the dark wall shifting in a different way to the rest. Swirls of dark mist flared out as something came from the black wall.

They were all once again caught off guard though, as a familiar ball of brown fuzz suddenly tumbled into view, shaking free fog from its fur.

"_Ku…Kuriboh_?" Yugi mumbled.

"Akio, what's going on? Kuriboh can be good when used in the right combination, but on its own…" Malik called.

"Hardly what one would imagine for a boss battle," Bakura agreed.

"_Don't drop your guard, there's something much stronger waiting in the wings, but I can't tell what's beyond the sphere, only that it's there, and that it's powerful."_

"If this is a boss fight, can't you just check the information for this patch Akio?" Mokuba suggested, "Even Noah would have to have the information stored somewhere!"

"_The data's locked. I'm trying to crack the password, but Noah's got it tightly under wraps!"_

"Why don't we focus on the current situation?" Bakura growled, pointing to Kuriboh.

As the fuzzy creature scratched its head, Yugi dared to step forward.

"Kuriboh?"

The creature perked up, and glanced between the two closest boys. It then flew around the others as well, circling them all twice before it settled back in front of them.

The whole thing would've seemed cute…if a dark look hadn't appeared in Kuriboh's large eyes then.

A yelp from Jou made them look around. Upon his chest was a large red number seven.

Instinctively they all looked to their own bodies, and found a number from one to seven marking them.

Yami found himself to have number one, but for some reason, his glowed yellow instead.

'_It's like that ring…'_

He didn't have time to contemplate it as Kuriboh screeched loudly. He flinched as five more fierce looking copies suddenly appeared from the original. Akio suddenly swore loudly in their ears.

"_GET OUT OF THERE! It's a security program!" _He cried.

But he was too slow. The Kuriboh's each set a target, and flew straight at them.

Yugi raised his arm over his face just as the kuriboh crashed into him, exploding on impact.

"AIBOU!"

Yami could only watch in horror as the swift creatures each blew up against one of his friends, leaving him the only one untouched.

"Yugi!" He cried, kneeling to help his hikari.

"_**Oh I wouldn't do that if I were you."**_

Yami growled up as Noah's voice rang through the air once more, but his attention, quickly returned to his friends as the duel disks on their arms one by one disintegrated like a defeated duel monster.

"Noah! Stop acting like a coward and show yourself!"

"_**Tsk, you wish. Playing smart isn't an act of cowardice Yami. Don't be angry though, there is someone here to see you. Oh, excuse me, I should say something."**_

On cue, the familiar roar sounded once more, even louder, as through the dark wall came the powerful adversary Akio had warned them of.

"No…anything but you…" Yami whispered, feeling a nasty burn at the back of his eyes.

The beautiful dragon roared proudly, its blue tinged scaled glistening in the virtual sunlight.

"Y-Yami…g-get out of here…"

He looked to Yugi, who had one eye open as he struggled to move.

"_Yami no!" _Akio yelled as the past life pharaoh reached for him again, _Please…please Yami…you can't…they've been infected!"_

"What?"

Yami looked to the others. He noticed there was a strange, eerie red ting moving over their skin, flowing in the same way as a lava lamp.

Bakura was on his arms and knees, but even he seemed incapable of getting any further than that. Jou had jumped to try and protect Mokuba, but neither had escaped, and just lay in a heap.

"_DAMN IT NOAH!"_

The roar from Akio didn't surprise Yami as much as he thought. He let his friend's anger fill him, and combine with his own.

At breaking point, his scream of rage equalled the _Blue Eyes White Dragons _roar.

* * *

"MALIK!"

Rishid rushed to grab Isis as she ran at the screen, but even he had to turn away to keep himself under control.

"Oniisan…" Shizuka cried, whilst Mai held her from behind.

Even the usually confident young woman was beginning to lose it.

"Come on Jonouchi…get your butt off the ground…you've done worse than this."

"Sir…" A worker spoke as he entered the room, "Everyone has been moved to the virtual reality pods, which are nearing one hundred per cent full function."

"Let me know the SECOND they're completely fixed! As soon as Kaiba is found, we'll be getting everyone out of there!

"_**Is that so?"**_

Akio's hands froze over the keyboard. He didn't speak for some time, but eventually turned his hardened gaze to the main screen.

"Well, am I going to get to meet you in person, or do I only get the privilege of your voice?" His own tone dripped with sarcasm.

The main screen flickered, before changing as Noah's face appeared.

It still seemed strange to be dealing with an older form of Noah, but he only spared the rest of them an amused glance before looking back to Akio.

"_**So Akio, I suppose it's time you and I properly met. Hmm, I thought this when I first glanced you as well, but on initial appearance you don't seem much. No wonder Seto overlooked you when you came knocking."**_

"How do you know about that?"

"_**Oh I know quite a bit Akio, practically every little secret Seto has been hiding."**_

"How? You don't mean even…?"

Whilst the others only looked confused by the red head's sudden quaver, Noah looked like he wanted to laugh.

"_**Oh, so you DO know about that, I was curious. I wonder what they'd all think if they knew…"**_

The blue eyes darted to the group of friends again.

"Noah, why the hell are you doing this to Seto? You've made no move on the company itself since you took him, so what do you get out of this?"

Noah's look turned calm then, although somehow he only looked like he was enjoying himself more.

"_**Tell me this first Akio…why did YOU go running to Seto, and insist on forming a bond with him?"**_

Akio flinched away from the controls.

"_**Did you come for the money or power that the company offered? I think anyone can tell from looking at you that material possessions have little worth in your mind. Also, it seems pretty clear that petty revenge on your parents can be ruled out as well. I've had my share of revenge, and whilst I may enjoy fine things, I desire more than just money to splurge…"**_

Noah rested back in his seat, his smirk fading as he looked to Akio thoughtfully, his chin barely resting upon his hand.

"_**As I said, revenge is no longer a concern of mine, but now that I think of it, Perhaps Yami isn't the only one I should be angry at…"**_

Akio didn't even get a word out before his headphones began sparking. He gave a loud, painful cry, and ripped them off. He collapsed to his knees, holding his head in pain.

"Akio? Are you ok? Can you look at me?" Shizuka spoke as she dropped to the ground in front of him.

Gritting his teeth, Akio forced his eyes open, and signalling to Shizuka that he was ok, he rose back to his shaky feet.

"_**THAT was for all your interfering. I'd suggest you stay out of it if you don't want another dose."**_

"For my interfering?" Akio grumbled, one hand holding Shizuka for support, "No, I don't think so. That was nothing more than a whim of a jealous child!"

Noah looked enraged as Akio fearlessly pulled the headphones back on, but this time he was the one who didn't get a word in.

"_ENOUGH!"_

* * *

"_ENOUGH!"_

Kaibas eyes opened meekly at the strong voice that rang over the speakers. All attention had returned to Yami, who stood staring skyward, a golden eye glowing upon his forehead.

"_Noah! Your quarrel is with me and no one else! Leave them all out of this!"_

"My quarrel is with anyone who chooses to interfere with my work. Your friends chose to do so, and now they're paying the price, even though this was all your idea to begin with Yami."

Yami could be seen looking back to where his friends were.

"Be grateful I'm even giving you an option to save them. You can choose to surrender and leave, or you can defeat the Blue Eyes White Dragon. Believe me, the second choice won't get you anywhere."

* * *

"And just why do you say that?" Yami growled.

"_No…Yami…"_

"Akio…"

"_Yami, that Blue Eyes is like Gilford…a security program! It looks like it was made to work together with the Kuribohs…separating one target from the rest."_

"The same as Gilford? That means it has…"

"_Yes, infinite strength…"_

Noah's laugh broke through.

"_**Not only that Yami, but this particular security program is also immune to spells and traps. It's the strongest program of the lot."**_

Yami looked up to the dragon, but couldn't stop the anxious look passing over his face.

"_**Could it be more obvious that you're not welcome Yami, or do you need more of a hint? This Blue Eyes isn't made to be defeated. Are you still going to waste time and effort by trying?"**_

The ruby eyed teen looked to the duel disk on his arm, currently off and waiting for the order to begin.

"_**I won't stop it Yami, so why don't you swallow your pride, do what's best for your friends and give up on Seto? I mean, what even makes you think he wants you coming after him anyway?"**_

Yamis heart lurched, whilst Noah's image suddenly appeared in the sky.

"_**Him pushing you away has nothing to do with me after all, so why keep chasing him if he wants absolutely nothing do wi…"**_

There was a clatter over the speakers, and Noah gasped in pain. He held his hand, which looked red, like it had been burnt. The aqua haired male glanced around angrily, and in that moment, Yamis heart struck against his chest in realisation.

That one little sign was like the whisper of one leaf amongst the rustling of hundreds; Impossible to find, but still very much there.

'_Seto..' _Yamis hand slowly trailed up to the ruby hanging from his neck. It felt like forever since he'd last touched it, and once he did, he couldn't bring himself to let it go.

* * *

Noah glared at Seto, who'd taken advantage of what little give his chains gave him, and shoved against the chair. The tea cup that had sat forgotten on the chair arm had tipped straight onto Noah's hand, spilling the steaming liquid over his skin, whilst the china itself fell to the ground and smashed.

The CEOs eyes were locked to the screen, and realising his mistake, Noah looked back to Yami. He was staring at the ground, clutching what he presumed to be the necklace he'd seen in Setos memories.

"Answer me Yami! What could you even offer Seto? Why should he waste his time on you?"

"_I've only ever been able to promise him one thing," _Yami answered calmly, the cruel words bouncing off of him.

Noah looked taken back by his lack of anger, whilst Seto lowered his gaze back to the floor.

"_The only thing I can promise my rival…no…to Seto Kaiba…is that I will stay strong for him!" _Yami glared back up, _"You're games won't make me go back on my word Noah!"_

With a strong, confident swing, Yami brought his duel disk forward, displaying it as it clicked into life.

* * *

A shock of pins and needles shot down Yamis arm and through his body. He glanced to the machine on his arm, and caught a glimmer from his deck.

'_What was that?' _He looked it over.

"Baka! You'll be wiped out in one go!" Bakura grunted.

"You have to go!" Ryou agreed.

"Yami please don't be so damn stubborn! Yugi scolded.

Yami knew too well that they were right. This wasn't a real duel because his opponent wasn't meant to be destroyed. It's presence spelt out _Leave_, not _bring it on_.

Yami suddenly felt a small chuckle leave his chest.

Kaibas signature monster; It was like staring at Kaiba himself. Everyone else saw the signs that said _'No trespassing'_, but Yami? Oh no…they spelt out something very different…

"Face me…"

"_**What was that Mutou?"**_Noah growled.

"Something that doesn't concern you," Yami growled back almost as fiercely as the dragon.

"_**Tsk! It doesn't matter! Don't even bother drawing your cards, because Blue Eyes won't give you the time to do anything with them!"**_

Yami had just placed his fingers upon the top card to draw, but looked up in shock as the dragon raised its mouth, preparing to attack.

A tiny but painful jolt shot through his fingers, but instead of drawing back, he found he couldn't pull away.

'_Kaiba…my deck…how is it…?'_

Somewhere between the middle and bottom of his deck, a card began to glow, before it switched places with the one above it, as if it had literally faded through.

It quickly flew through each card, whilst Yami watched the white lightening attack charge up.

And then his breath halted as it was shot straight at him.

He couldn't hear his friend's panicked cries, or his pounding heart over the silence that took him as he felt the card reach the top, and his fingers finally released from the deck.

'_Ka…Seto…I trust you.'_

Without even looking, he drew the card and slammed it onto his duel disk. Upon the field appeared the monster he'd sensed before seeing it.

Magician of Black Chaos rose in all his glory, and with a sharp strike of his septer, sent out a ball of dark energy to counter the white lightening.

The resulting explosion temporarily blinded everyone.

"_**How…how could you do that?" **_Noah finally broke the silence.

A surprised laugh caught his attention.

"_Well I'll be damned!" _Akio chuckled, _"Yami, did you know? I mean heck, no wonder you couldn't trade it with Yugi!"_

Yami didn't answer, he just smiled at the creature that now stood as his shield.

* * *

"That thing…it's a security program to…he actually had a security program IN HIS DECK? How the heck did he summon it without the correct method?"

A quiet chuckle reached Noah's attention then, making him spin around in shock.

Seto was still in a heap on the floor, but the aura coming from him was of someone in complete control.

Noah gasped quietly, recalling the tiny glimpse of Setos memory he's seen; the dark dome…kuribohs to limit numbers…and…the guardian of the dome…

'_If you make the mistake, you'll know it.'_

"You…you planned this didn't you? That was no accident that I saw the Blue Eyes White Dragon, you…"

Seto shifted just enough so he could look at Noah, his expression having the same effect as a slap to the face.

"_You…_have been in over your head since you thought you had a chance of winning in here. Did you honestly think you could beat _me_?"

The CEO chuckled into the ground again, before opening an eye to look at his captor.

"You shouldn't have separated them, or you might have stood a better chance. Understand this Noah; Blue Eyes is mine, and no one else will use it!"

His smirk gone, Seto raised up off the ground as far as he could, and stared to the screen.

"UNIFORM NOVEMBER FOXTROT OSCAR ROMEO GOLF INDIA VICTOR ECHO NOVEMBER!"

Before Noah even had time to consider the strange yell, there was a roar from Blue Eyes White Dragon.

* * *

"Blue Eyes…" Yami whispered, as the beautiful dragon gave a screech of pain.

He watched as its proud form began to lose its strength, and its body lowered to the ground.

"_Y-Yami! It's no longer infinite strength! I can't explain it, but it's falling fast, whilst you're still on infinite!"_

The past life pharaoh knew exactly what Akio was saying, and he was right, but for it to happen in this way…

For to him, casting a blow to Blue Eyes was the same as casting one to Kaiba himself.

But as he forced himself to stand strong, he knew which decision the CEO truly wouldn't forgive.

"I'm sorry Blue Eyes…" He called as tears burnt at the edges of his eyes, but didn't dare fall, "…Magician of Black Chaos, attack Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

The magician sent out one more blast, and Yami almost…almost…lost control of his tears as the dragon disintegrated before him.

A memory flashed through his mind again, still too quick to grab, but it left him feeling like he was in familiar territory.

'_Blue Eyes, forgive me. I never wanted to face you this way.'_

He was pulled from his thoughts as the ground shook around them, and Magician of Black Chaos vanished, his purpose fulfilled.

Noah also disappeared from the sky, though a last glimpse of his face suggested it wasn't by his own choice.

True to Noah's words, the dragon's destruction activated the end of the virus inflicting his friends. The horrible rash vanished from their skin, and though seemingly exhausted, they began to rise from the ground.

"Akio…please…"

"_It's ok now Yami, they're safe…"_

Without another word, Yami was upon his hikari, embracing him so tightly that Yugi gave a small squeak.

"I'll leave Mokuba to Kaiba and Akio, because when we get out of here, _you're _getting hell for coming along!"

Yugi gave a weak giggle, but hugged his dark half back, trying to steady his shaking.

There was a small grunt from Ryou as he stood, his foot clearly still sore.

"Guys, maybe we should keep moving…" Malik suggested as the ground shook again.

"Where exactly do we go?" Mokuba yelled over the rumbling earth.

"Where we've been heading all along," Yami answered him.

He looked to the swirling dome, and thought it seemed slightly paler than before.

His eyes becoming firm, Yugi jumped and caught hold of Yamis arm; not to stop him, but as a support.

Yami was grateful as always, even though he didn't stop to say it. Without a moment to consider the safety of it, he charged through the foreboding dome.

For no longer than half an intense second, a heavy, silent darkness pressed in on him and Yugi, before they were released instead into an icy gust that stole their breath.

"Y-y-Yami…w-where…? Yugi shivered, struggling to find his voice over the chill.

His alter ego wrapped his arms around him, trying to bring him some warmth as he took in the landscape.

Forget a different land…it seemed as if they'd stepped into another world.

The ground around them was solid ice that seemed endless in front of them, whilst behind them and to the sides, jagged mountains rose upon the horizon like a false ray of hope that would only lead the desperate to exhaustion.

More than one sharp intake sounded as their friends followed them.

"What the Ra?" Jou shouted over the wind.

There was something strange about it. It wasn't overly powerful, just freezing. At times things even seemed still, and the air just didn't seem…melodic.

It wasn't alive…

…it just existed.

Bakura had helped Ryou walk again, but now looked to him as the boy struggled to keep his teeth from chattering.

"W-why w-would Nii-iis-san be somewhere like thi-i-iss…?" Mokuba shivered fiercely.

"Here."

At the same time, Malik and Jou both moved to help warm him, and the boy found himself lightly sandwiched between the two.

Jou only looked up in mild surprise, whilst Malik's expression was shocked. He looked away before the blonde caught the red on his cheeks, though really he seemed more angry than embarrassed.

"Over there!" Ryou indicated ahead.

A fair distance away, but still in clear sight, they could see a figure laying on the ice, apparently unconscious and fairly dishevelled despite only being half dressed in the first place.

He lay on his side, and from the way his arms sat, it could be guessed they were tied behind his back.

Yami had thought his heart had pounded hard before, but not against this time.

Unable to find his voice, and throwing common sense and rational thinking aside, he raced away before Yugi had the chance to stop him.

He heard his friend's warnings, but he didn't want to listen…he couldn't bare it anymore, he just wanted to see those sapphires look at him once more, even if they were angry.

"Se…Se…damn it! Kaiba!"

He was still barely in sight, but could've sworn the brunette's eyes flickered.

And then he saw them; the blue eyes he loved so much slit open weakly, and turned towards him.

He wasn't far now, and he prayed fate would be kind enough to let him get there.

Kaibas eyes shut again just as he dropped next to him. His knees objected to the painful landing, but got nothing more than a short hiss.

"Kaiba! Hang in there, look at me!"

The CEO's head shifted a little as Yami touched him.

"Y-y…"

His heart wanted to go crazy, but kept at a quiet patting as he waited.

It was then he noticed the chain linking Kaibas arms to ice.

"Hold on!"

He moved behind the male and pulled at it.

"Y…y…"

The struggling whisper urged him on, and soon the ice began to give.

"_Yami! What the heck are you doing?"_

"Not now Akio!"

"_Stop it! You're about to activate a…!"_

With a loud crash, the ice gave way, not as solid as it had first seemed.

The chain flew out, sending Yami stumbling backwards, and eventually over onto his back.

"Y…"

He picked himself up and scrambled around to see Setos face as the blue eyes opened again and looked towards him.

"You…FOOL!"

And Setos face was gone in an instant.

Only a sadistic expression unlike the CEO's own remained, making Yami retreat back in shock.

The hole that had once been filled by the chain began to glow. The light expanded from both sides to swiftly form a circle around the two of them…

…the same kind of circle that had forced him against Blue Eyes.

'_Oh no…'_

"Noah!"

Before he could otherwise react, there was a groan from the ice, before it crashed apart. The circle they were on remained intact, but drifted apart from the rest as pitch black water forced its way to the surface.

Yugi and the others had almost caught up, but stumbled and yelled as the ice beneath them swayed like an ice cube being swirled around a glass.

Jonouchi almost tumbled off, but Malik and Mokuba managed to catch his shirt and yank him back.

Bakura grabbed Yugis arm and pulled him back when the ice he was on separated from the rest. But in the process, he knocked back into Ryou, who gasped as his injured foot…exhausted from being used…gave way under him.

Barely making sure Yugi had secured his footing, Bakura turned to his alter ego, reaching for him as he lost his balance too close to the edge.

He caught his hand, but gravity had already ensnared Ryou, and with an inconvenient shift of the ice, it pulled them both over board.

"Ryou! Bakura!" Yami yelled, raising to his feet.

A dark chuckle though, made him glare back around. The imposter was slowly rising, all signs of weakness gone.

The chain clanked loudly as it broke apart by its own will, allowing him to stand. Yami gritted his teeth furiously as clothes faded into view upon the figure; Kaibas usual preference of black, with the infamous white coat he so often wore.

With a cocky tilt of his head, he completed the image of Seto Kaiba, even though in Yamis opinion, it looked as much like him as a child's sketch.

"And here I recall you saying you couldn't be fooled by a face and voice," The look alike mocked.

It was Kaibas voice, but the person clearly wasn't actually trying to fool his opponent anymore.

It was too much for Yami.

Without anyone in reach to hold him back, he was upon the imposter within a second, his fist slamming straight into his face.

Naturally, the male was caught by surprise, and with his anger temporarily satisfied, Yami caught his friends still yelling. He turned back to scan the water for the two who'd fallen in.

In the water, the silver haired duo had been knocked around by the cold current. However, Now down where the water was stone still, Bakura finally opened his eyes, and though it was dark, his hikari stood out like a lit match in a dark room.

One hand gripping his chest, he caught hold off the smaller boys hand, and began kicking as hard as he could.

But he was struggling. A growing pressure in his chest eventually forced him to stop.

Suddenly, his mouth burst open as a large bubble formed. Despite its size, it didn't break as it forced its way out.

However, once out, Bakura found the pressure relieved, and gave the bubble no more consideration as he began swimming again.

He failed to notice that as Ryou was pulled up with him, the bubble collided with the boy's gentle face, and popped as it would've been expected to in the first place.

Ryou grimaced, before his eyes flashed open. He seemed unsure of where he was, or what was happening, until Bakura had them not far from the surface. At that point, he suddenly seemed to register his alter ego, and yanked his arm free, now kicking on his own, despite his injury.

He didn't look it, but the slimly built boy was actually a fair swimmer.

They broke the surface, gasping for air. Upon hearing Jou call to them, they made for the iceberg the rest were taking refuge on.

"Come on!" Jou grunted as he and Mokuba pulled up Bakura, whilst Yugi and Malik helped Ryou.

Though panting and shivering, Bakura recovered fast, and turned to Ryou.

In a rare, unguarded show of concern, he reached towards his sennen partner, only to halt as Ryou shifted away sharply from him.

The others didn't think too much of it, but then only Bakura had caught the flash of a furious glare as Ryou looked away.

For once, the past life thief looked honestly confused.

Concerned for his friends, Yami scanned the water until he found a group of broken ice pieces that looked like they'd form a relatively descent path.

He darted towards the edge, ready to jump, but a hand fastened around his wrist painfully, pulling him back against the larger body he'd almost forgotten about.

"Aw, what's this Yami? I thought you wanted to stay with me?" The Kaiba imposer taunted, wrapping his free arm around the other's middle.

"Get the hell off of me you filthy, childish rat!" Yami spat, pulling out of his grip.

However, His wrist was not released, and the grip on it only became tighter, making his grunt.

The male smirked at him, before glancing to the side. Yami instinctively followed his gaze, feeling his heart sink as the so called platforms of ice suddenly sank under the turbulent water.

Don't look so horrified Yami, this is what you wanted after all, isn't it?"

Now the voice had suddenly changed to Noah's own, as he shoved Yami away to the other end of the ice.

"But then again, even if it's not, I think you realise that there isn't much option, correct?"

He raised his arm, and upon it, a duel disk appeared.

Yami forced his rage down, and stood tall, grateful the ice had become mostly steady now.

"I will duel you Noah…but as yourself!"

Noah looked himself over, like pretending he'd forgotten about the disguise.

"Hm, you're no fun," He taunted with a shrug.

However, the image of Kaiba quickly vanished like smoke on a breeze, and the adult form of Noah remained.

"I'm actually Surprised Yami. I didn't think you'd have it in you to hit your precious Seto Kaiba. Then again…if you're able to strike him in the face with a soccer ball, what's a little punch?"

"How the hell do you know about that…?" Yami questioned, the blood draining from his face.

"The same way I know more about him than you can ever hope to," Noah answered cruelly.

Though calmer, the ocean still churned around the ice, and a wave send a small splash far enough to hit yamis foot.

The teen jumped, and looked around swiftly.

How strange, it felt almost like…

He turned back as Noah gave a mocking sound, and raised his duel disk.

"Enough time wasted Noah."

"Indeed Yami."

Both duel disks clicked into life, as the opponents challenged each other.

"TIME TO DUEL!"

* * *

_So happy happy that whole part is over! XD_

_Don't anyone kick me for doing that to the characters...they're all perfectly fine now ^^_

_As always, if anything doesn't make sense, please feel free to ask._

_Hmm...well...don't think I've forgotten anything else, so I hope you enjoyed it :D once more, I'm so sorry for the many months it took to update this, I pray it'll NEVER take me so long to write ANYTHING again._

_Thanks for reading, reviews are loved!_


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